Book 



ANECDOTES 



ILLUSTRATIVE OF 



A SELECT PASSAGE IN EACH CHAPTER 

OF 



THE OLD TESTAMENT. 



BY 

JOHN WHITECROSS, 

AUTHOR OF 1 ANECDOTES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE ASSEMBLY'S SHORTER 
CATECHISM,' 'BIOGRAPHICAL VARIETIES,' ETC. 



SIXTH EDITION. 



EDINBURGH : WILLIAM OLIPHANT AND CO. 

LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. 



-3 /i>> -? 



TuTKRAT AND GIB B, PHILTERS, EDIXB l.'P'J ii , 



PREFACE. 



The Compiler of the following "Work having, in 
a former publication, supplied, with a very few 
exceptions, each chapter of the New Testament 
with two anecdotes, was naturally led to turn his 
attention to the Old Testament, with the view of 
completing his plan. In some of the Books of 
Moses, the Chronicles, the concluding chapters of 
Ezekiel, and some other parts of Scripture, con- 
siderable difficulty was felt in getting anecdotes 
to bear on particular passages ; and after all, the 
connection may. in several instances, appear re- 
mote. The candid reader will in such cases make 
allowance. The Compiler has been careful not to 
admit anecdotes of a light and humorous kind, 
more calculated to afford amusement than to make 
any serious impression on the mind. Passages 



4 



PREFACE. 



may occur to the recollection of the intelligent 
reader, to which some of the anecdotes elsewhere 
applied may be thought more appropriate ; their 
application to these passages, however, would 
have displaced others from a situation that ap- 
peared the most proper. Unless it may have 
arisen from oversight, none of the anecdotes in 
the last editions of the other compilations of the 
author have been admitted into the present volume. 
Where the Old Testament is read through in 
order by children, either in a family or school, an 
anecdote will be found under each chapter, the 
reading, or relating of which, may give tbfc exer- 
cise an additional interest, and impress some truth 
of the Word of God more strongly on the mind. 



ANECDOTES 

ON 

THE OLD TESTAMENT. 



GENESIS. 

Chap. i. ver. 16. — God made two great lights ; the 
greater light to rule the day. 

The late Dr Livingston of America, and Louis Bona- 
parte, Ex-King of Holland, happened once to be fellow- 
passengers, with many others, on board of one of the Korth 
River steam-boats. As the doctor was walking the deck 
in the morning, and gazing at the refulgence of the rising 
sun, which appeared to him unusually attractive, he passed 
near the distinguished stranger, and, stopping for a mo- 
ment, accosted him thus : ' How glorious, Sir, is that 
object!' — pointing gracefully with his hand to the sun. 
The Ex-King assenting, he immediately added, 'And 
how much more glorious, Sir, must be its Maker, the Sun 
of Righteousness !' A gentleman who overheard this 
short incidental conversation, being acquainted with both 
personages, now introduced them to each other, and a few 
more remarks were interchanged. Shortly after the doctor 
again turned to the Ex-King, and with that air of polished 
complaisance for which he was remarkable, invited him 
first, and then the rest of the company, to attend a morn- 
ing prayer. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the in- 
vitation was promptly complied with. 

ii. 3. — And God blessed the seventh day, and sanc- 
tified it. 

* It is a little remarkable,' says Captain Scoresby, in 
his voyage to Greenland, ' that 'during the whole of the 



6 



GENESIS IV. 



voyage, no circumstance ever occurred to prevent us en- 
gaging in public worship on the Sabbath day. In a few- 
instances, the hour of worship could not be easily kept, 
but opportunity was always found of having each of the 
services in succession on a plan adopted at the commence- 
ment of the voyage. And it is worthy of observation, that 
in no instance, when on fishing stations, was our refrain- 
ing from the ordinary duties of our profession on the Sun- 
day ever supposed, eventually, to have been a loss to us ; 
for we in general found, that, if others who were less re- 
gardful, or had not the same view of the obligatory nature 
of the command respecting the Sabbath day, succeeded in 
their endeavours to promote the success of the voyage, 
we seldom failed to procure a decided advantage in the 
succeeding week. Independently, indeed, of the Divine 
blessing on honouring the Sabbath day, I found that the 
restraint put upon the natural inclinations of the men for 
pursuing the fishery at all opportunities, acted with some 
advantage, by proving an extraordinary stimulus to their 
exertions when they were next sent out after whales. 
Were it not out of place here, I could relate several in- 
stances in which, after our refraining to fish upon the Sab- 
bath, while others were thus successfully employed, our 
subsequent labours succeeded under circumstances so 
striking, that there was not, I believe, a man in the ship 
who did not consider it the effect of the Divine blessing/ 

iii. 15. — 1 will put enmity between thee and the wo- 
man, and between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise 
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

During the Arian controversy, at a general meeting of 
the ministers of London, at Salters' Hall, Mr Thomas 
Bradbury had been contending, that those who really be- 
lieved the doctrine of Christ's Divinity should openly 
avow it ; when, to bring it to the test, he said, ' You who 
are not ashamed to own the Deity of our Lord, follow me 
into the gallery.' He had scarcely mounted two or three 
steps before the opposite party hissed him ; when, turn- 
ing round, he said, 'I have been pleading for Him who 
bruised the serpent's head ; no wonder the seed of the 
serpent should hiss.' 

iv. 8. — It came to pass, when they were in the field, 
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew hirn. 



GENESIS VII. 



7 



Mr Clark, in his ' Examples,' relates the account of two 
French merchants who were travelling to a fair, and while 
passing through a wood, one of whom murdered the other, 
and robbed him of his money. After burying him to pre- 
vent discovery, he proceeded on his journey. The dog 
of the person murdered remained, however, by the grave 
of his master ; and, by his loud and continued howling, 
attracted the notice of several persons in the neighbour- 
hood, who, by this means, discovered the murder. The 
fair being ended, they watched the return of the mer- 
chants. The murderer no sooner appeared in view, than 
the dog sprung furiously upon him, who, being appre- 
hended, confessed the crime, and was justly executed. 

v. 22. — Enoch walked with God. 

Dr Cornelius of North America, whose death was 
somewhat sudden, said to the writer of his life, ' Tell your 
own dear people from me, that they hear for eternity. 
Last Monday I was in the world, active, but now I am 
dying ; so it may be with any of them. 0, if they would 
but realise the solemn import of the fact, that they hear 
for eternity, it would rouse them all from slumber, and 
cause them to attend, without delay, to the things which 
belong to their eternal peace. Tell Christians to aim at a 
higher standard of piety, and to live more entirely devoted 
to Christ and His cause. When one comes to die, he 
feels that there is an immeasurable disparity between the 
standard of piety as it now is, and as it ought to be.' 

vi. 3. — And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not al- 
ways strive with man. 

A young woman, who had lived negligent of the great 
salvation, not long before she died, burst into tears, and 
said, ' O that I had repented when the Spirit of God was 
striving with me ! but now I am undone.' She afterwards 
exclaimed, 1 0, how have I been deceived ! When I was 
in health, I delayed repentance from time to time ! O 
that I had my time to live over again ! O that I had 
obeyed the Gospel ! but now I must burn in hell for ever. 
O, I cannot bear it ; I cannot bear it !' Not long before 
she died, she said, 1 Eternity! Eternity! 0, to burn 
throughout eternity !' 

vii. 9. — There went in two and two unto Noah into 



8 



GENESIS IX. 



the ark, the male and the female, as God had com- 
manded Noah. 

The dominion originally given to man over the inferior 
animals is still, in a great measure, maintained, notwith- 
standing his fall, and consequent loss of authority over 
the brute creation. * Considering the use that is made of 
the elephant in the East Indies,' says Mr Park in his 
' Travels,' 1 it may be thought extraordinary that the 
natives of Africa have not, in any part of this immense 
continent, acquired the skill of taming this powerful and 
docile creature, and applying his strength and faculties to 
the service of man. When I told some of the natives 
that this was actually done in the countries of the East, 
my auditors laughed me to scorn ; and exclaimed, " To- 
baubo fonnio /" (White man's lie.)' 

viii. 22. — While the earth remaineth, seed-time and 
harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, 
and day and night, shall not cease. 

A minister going to church one Lord's day morning, 
when the weather was extremely cold and stormy, was 
overtaken by one of his neighbours, who, shivering, said 
to him, ' It's very cold, Sir.' 1 Oh,' replied the minister, 
' God is as good as His word still.' The other started at 
his remark, not apprehending his drift, or what he refer- 
red to ; and asked him what he meant ? 1 Mean,' replied 
he, * why He promised, above three thousand years ago, 
and still He makes His word good, that while the earth 
remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, shall 
not cease.' 

ix. 21. — Noah drank of the wine, and was drunken. 

A person in Maryland, who was addicted to drunken- 
ness, hearing a considerable uproar in his kitchen one 
night, felt the curiosity to step without noise to the door, 
to know what was the matter ; when he found his ser- 
vants indulging in the most unbounded roars of laughter 
at a couple of negro boys, who were mimicking himself in 
his drunken fits ! — as how he reeled and staggered — how 
he looked and nodded — and hiccupped and tumbled. 
The pictures which these children of nature drew of him, 
and which had filled the rest with such inexhaustible 
merriment, struck him with so salutary a disgust, that from 



GENESIS XII. 



9 



that night he became a perfectly sober man, to the great 
joy of his wife and children. 

x. 8. — Nimrod began to be a mighty one in the earth. 

' What right,' asks Rollin, ' had Alexander over the 
great number of nations, which did not know even the 
name of Greece, and had never done him the least injury ? 
The Scythian Ambassador spoke very judiciously when 
he addressed him in these words : — " What have we to 
do with thee ? We never once set our feet in thy country. 
Are not those who live in woods allowed to be ignorant 
of thee, and the place from whence thou comest ? Thou 
boastest that the only design of thy marching is to ex- 
tirpate robbers ; thou thyself art the greatest robber in 
the world." ' This is Alexander's exact character, in 
which there is nothing to be rejected. — 'A pirate spoke 
to him,' adds the same historian, ' to the same effect, and 
in stronger terms. Alexander asked him, " What right 
he had to infest the seas ? " " The same that thou hast," 
replied the pirate, with a generous liberty, " to infest the 
world ; but because I do this in a small ship, I am called 
a robber, and because thou actest the same part with a 
great fleet, thou art styled a conqueror." ' 

xi. 4. — Let ns build us a city, and a tower whose top 
may reach unto heaven. 

According to Herodotus, the Tower of Babel, which was 
constructed of bricks of bitumen, was a furlong on each 
side at the base ; and Strabo adds, a furlong in height. It 
consisted of eight towers built one above another, which, 
if proportionally high, would make the elevation exactly 
one mile. The ascent to the top, Rollin informs us, was 
by stairs winding round it on the outside ; that is, there 
was an easy sloping ascent in the side of the outer wall, 
which turning by very slow degrees in a spiral line, 
eight times round the tower, from the bottom to the top, 
had the same appearance as if there had been eight towers 
placed upon one another. In these different stories were 
many large rooms with arched roofs, supported by pillars. 
Over the whole, on the top of the tower, was an observa- 
tory, by the benefit of which, the Babylonians became 
more expert in astronomy than all other nations. 

xii. 8. — Abraham pitched his tent, and there he 



10 



GENESIS XIV. 



builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the 
name of the Lord. 

Mr Howard, the philanthropist, never neglected the 
duty of family prayer, even though there was but one, 
and that one his domestic, to join him in it; always de- 
claring, that where he had a tent, God should have an 
altar. This was the case, not only in England, but in 
every part of Europe which they visited together, it being 
the invariable practice, wherever, and with whomsoever 
he might be, to tell Tomasson to come to him at a certain 
hour, at which, well knowing what the direction meant, 
he would be sure to find him in his room, the doors of 
which he would order him to fasten ; when, let who would 
come, nobody was admitted till this devotional exercise 
was over. ' Yery few,' says the humbler narrator, ' knew 
the goodness of this man's heart.' 

xiii. 8. — Abraham said unto Lot, Let there be no 
strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between 
my herdmen and thy herdmen ; for we be brethren. 

Mr Richards, missionary in India, on his journey to 
Meerut, halted under the shade of a tree, in the outskirts 
of a large village, by the roadside : as he sat there, two of 
the Zemindars of the neighbourhood came up, and, re- 
spectfully saluting him, entreated him to act as an um- 
pire between them, and settle a dispute, in which they 
had been long involved, about the boundaries of their 
respective lands. Mr R. declined interfering in the 
matter ; but intimated his readiness to give them infor- 
mation respecting the important concerns of salvation. 
Having read and explained the Scriptures, they listened 
with attention and delight. The disputants embraced 
each other with apparent cordiality, and avowed that 
they would dispute no more about their lands, but love 
each other, and strive to seek and serve God. 

xiv. 22. — Abraham said to the king of Sodom, I have 
lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, 
the possessor of heaven and earth. 

Mr John Kerr, a teacher from Scotland, had been sum- 
moned as a witness at a very important trial in the Old 
Bailey, and being called to take the oath, by kissing the 
New Testament, he declined it, and craved the indulgence 



GENESIS XVI. 



11 



of the Court, saying that he was a Presbyterian, that he 
had conscientious scruples against taking the oath in 
that form, and that he wished to swear according to the 
mode used in his own country. Lord Chief- Justice Eyre 
gave him permission ; and, holding up his right hand, 
he repeated, with great solemnity, the oath taken in 
Scottish courts of justice. His venerable appearance, 
his gravity of manner, and his slow and solemn utterance, 
struck the whole Court with awe ; and the remark was 
made by many, that they never heard an oath taken in 
a manner so affecting. 

xv. 6. — Abraham believed in the Lord ; and he 
counted it to him for righteousness. 

Mr Cooper, late missionary in the East Indies, had 
been on one occasion preaching on justification, at a 
military station on the Malabar coast ; and on giving out 
the hymn at the end of the service, which was the 109th 
of the first book of Watts, he paused and remarked, that 
if any one who did not come to Christ for the bestowment 
of this righteousness, joined in the singing of this hymn, 
he was only insulting God. One of the soldiers who was 
hearing him said, he was as if thunderstruck : ' What a 
wretch must I be,' said he, ' that I am prohibited from 
joining in the praises of God !' He went to the barracks 
under this impression, and found that, without an interest 
in Christ, he was a wretch indeed ; and now, to all human 
appearance, he has fled for refuge to that atonement he 
had formerly neglected. 

xvi. 13. — Thou God seest me. 

In a market town in Buckinghamshire, several Chris- 
tians of different denominations united to support and 
teach a Sabbath school in a neighbouring village. One 
of the teachers, who was accustomed to address the 
children and other attendants on religious subjects, was 
one Sabbath morning, during winter, very greatly dis- 
couraged in the prospect of his duties, and entirely un- 
able to fix on a topic for his usual address. Walking 
along in this disconsolate state of mind, he found written 
on the snow, apparently with the stick of some passing 
traveller, that striking passage of Holy Scripture, — 
' Thou God seest me.' He resolved on making this the 
foundation of his remarks, and the happy result was the 



12 



GENESIS XVIII. 



conversion to God of two of his hearers, who became 
consistent members of a Christian church. 

xvii. 18. — Abraham said unto God, 0 that Ishmael 
might live before thee ! 

In the house of a good man lived his daughter and her 
husband, both of them strangers to real religion, and 
the latter of them immoral. The affectionate exhorta- 
tions, the holy life, and the prayers of the old man, which 
were offered every day, in the presence of this son and 
daughter, as often as he could prevail upon them to come 
to his bedside, produced no effect upon them. A child, 
who boarded with them in the cottage, never failed to 
attend on these occasions ; and, on the evening of the 
day in which the old man died, this child said to his 
daughter, 1 Mother,' for so she usually called her (though 
no relation), 8 we shall have no prayer to-night, now 
grandfather is dead ; will not you pray ?' ' As I can,' 
was the reply. The child, with much simplicity and fer- 
vour, urged her request. At length the poor woman, 
overcome by her entreaties, and her mind perhaps some- 
what softened by the loss she had that day sustained, 
made her first attempt to call on the name of the Lord. 
The result was happy : for she has been a praying person 
ever since, and consistent in her conduct. Her husband 
soon after became ' convinced of sin, and righteous- 
ness, and of judgment to come ;' and is, there is good 
reason to believe, a truly pious man. This case surely 
affords a powerful encouragement to parents to perse- 
vere in offering up fervent prayer for the conversion of 
their children, in the hope that their petitions may be 
heard, though they may not live to witness the answer of 
them. 

xviii. 19. — I know him, that he will command his 
children and his household after him, and they shall 
keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment. 

The following account is given by Milner, in his Church 
History, of the family order observed by Eleazer, Count 
of Arian, in the 14th century : — 1 1 cannot,' said the Count, 
1 allow blasphemy in my house, nor anything in word or 
deed, which offends the laws of decorum. Dice and all 
games of hazard are to be prohibited. Let all persons in 
my house divert themselves at proper times ; but not in 



GENESIS XXI. 



13 



a sinful manner. In the morning, reading and prayer 
must be attended to. Let there be constant peace in my 
family ; otherwise two armies are formed under my roof, 
and the master is devoured by them both. If any differ- 
ence arise, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. We 
must bear with something if we have to live among man- 
kind. Every evening, all the family shall be assembled 
at a godly conference, in which they shall hear something 
of God and salvation. Let none be absent on pretence of 
attending to my affairs. I have no affairs so interesting 
to me as the salvation of my domestics. I seriously for- 
bid all injustice which may cloak itself under colour of 
serving me. 5 

xix. 14. — Up, get you out of this place ; for the 
Lord will destroy this city. But Lot seemed as one 
that mocked unto his sons-in-law. 

Some of the unconverted inhabitants of Greenland had 
heard that the world should be destroyed, and as, in that 
case, they should have nowhere to go to, they expressed 
a desire to be converted, that they might go with the be- 
lievers. 1 But,' added they, with that carelessness and 
procrastination so natural to man, in the things that be- 
long to eternity, ' as the destruction will not happen this 
year, we will come in next season.' 

xx. 16. — Abraham prayed unto God : and God healed 
Abimelech. 

Dr Thomas Brown, a physician of considerable celebrity 
in former days, and author of Heligio Medici, says, ' I 
never hear of a person dying, though in my mirth, without 
my prayers and best wishes for the departing spirit. I 
cannot go to cure the body of my patient, but I forget my 
profession, and call unto God for his soul.' 

xxi. 23. — Xow therefore swear unto me here by 
God, that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with 
my son, nor with my son's son ; but according to the 
kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto 
me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. 

When Mr Bruce was at Shekh Ammer, he entreated 
the protection of the governor in prosecuting his journey. 
Speaking of the people who were assembled together, at 
this time, in the house, he says, 1 The great people among 



14 



GENESIS XXII. 



them came, and after joining hands, repeated a kind of 
prayer, of about two minutes long, by which they declared 
themselves and their children accursed, if ever they lifted 
up their hands against me in the tell or field in the desert ; 
or in case that I, or mine, should fly to them for refuge, 
if they did not protect us at the risk of their lives, their 
families, and their fortunes ; or, as they emphatically 
expressed it, to the death of the last male child among 
them/ 

xxii. 10. — Abraham stretched forth his hand, and 
took the knife to slay his son. 

The following anecdote and remarks, are found in a 
note to one of President Davies' sermons. ' How astonish- 
ing was the rigid justice of Brutus the Elder, who, in spite 
of all the passions of a father, passed sentence of death 
upon his own sons, for conspiring against the liberty of 
their country ! While the amiable youths stood trembling 
and weeping before him, and hoping their fears would be 
the most powerful defence with a father ; while the senate 
whisper for the moderation of the punishment, and that 
they might escape with banishment ; while his fellow- 
consul is silent ; while the multitude tremble and expect 
the decision with horror ; — the inexorable Brutus rises, in 
all the stern majesty of justice, and turning to the lictors, 
who were the executioners, says to them, " To you, lictors, 
I deliver them." In this sentence he persisted, inexorable, 
notwithstanding the weeping intercession of the multitude, 
and the cries of the young men, calling upon their father 
by the most endearing names. The lictors seized them, 
stripped them naked, bound their hands behind them, 
beat them with rods, and then struck off their heads ; the 
inexorable Brutus looking on the bloody spectacle with 
unaltered countenance. Thus the father was lost in the 
judge ; the love of justice overcame all the fondness of 
the parent ; private interest was swallowed up in regard 
for the public good, and the honour and security of go- 
vernment. This, perhaps, is the most striking resemblance 
of the justice of Deity that can be found in the history of 
mankind. But how far short does it fall ! How trifling 
were the sufferings of these youths, compared with those 
of the Son of God 1 They, too, were criminals, — He was 
holy and free from sin. How insignificant the law and 
government for which they suffered, to that of the divine ! 



GENESIS XXV. 



15 



How small the good of the public in the one case, to that 
of the other ! ' 

xxiii. 7. — Abraham bowed himself to the people of 
the land, even to the children of Heth. 

Sir William Cooels, Governor of Virginia, was convers- 
ing one day with a merchant in the street, when he saw a 
negro pass by who saluted him. Sir William having re- 
turned the salutation, the merchant, in surprise, asked 
him, 4 How ! does your excellency condescend to bow to 
a slave ? ' 4 To be sure,' answered the Governor, 4 1 should 
be very sorry that a slave should show himself more civil 
than I.' 

xxiv. 63. — Isaac went out to meditate {margin, to 
pray) in the field at the even-tide. 

A pious young man in the army, not finding a conveni- 
ent place in the barracks in which he was quartered, went 
one night, when dark, into an adjoining field, for the pur- 
pose of secret devotion. Two men belonging to the same 
regiment, in whose breasts enmity had long subsisted 
against each other, were resolved to end it, as they said, by 
a battle that night, being prevented from going, during the 
day, by the fear of punishment. They were led by Provi- 
dence to the same part of the field where the young man 
was engaged in his secret exercises. They were surprised 
at hearing, as they thought, a voice in the field at that time 
of night ; and much more so, when they drew nearer and 
heard a man at prayer. They stopped, and gave attention ; 
and, through the Divine blessing, the prayer had such an 
effect on both, as to turn their enmity into love. They 
instantly took each other by the hand, and cordially con- 
fessed that there existed no longer, in their hearts, hatred 
to each other. 

xxv. 8. — Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died 
in a good old age, an old man, and full of years ; and 
was gathered to his people. 

The late Rev. Mr Innes of GifFord, after a life prolonged 
beyond the days of most men, literally fell asleep ; through 
life a truly peaceful man, his latter end was peculiarly so; 
without the suffering of disease, or any acute pain, the 
pins of his tabernacle seem to have been gently loosed. 
Some days before, one of his parishioners, a farmer, called, 



10 



GENESIS XXVI, 



and seeing him cheerful, said he was glad to see him so 
well, and that as mild weather was at hand, he would soon 
get better, and be visiting them again. He replied, ; Xo, 
I wish no such flattery ; you see here a poor old man on 
his death-bed, but without alarm I tell you that ; hear, 
and tell all your neighbours, my parishioners, that my 
comfort now, and hope for eternity, is just the Gospel of 
Christ I have preached to them sixty years, and there is 
no other.' He was wonderfully composed at all times ; 
but a week before his death, one called, and seeing a book 
of small type before him. asked him if he saw to read 
without glasses. He said, ; 0, no ; I cannot read even my 
Bible without glasses ; but,' strengthening his voice. 1 1 
am thankful that I have a Bible that I have read, and I 
can mind some texts that I can see and feel now, as I 
never did before. O, it is a precious book ! ' 

xxvi. 20. — The herdmen of Gerar did strive with 
Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours. 

Major Rooke, in his 'Travels,' relates the following cir- 
cumstance : — 1 One morning when we had been driven, by 
stress of weather, into a small bay, called Birk Bay, the 
country around it being inhabited by the Budoos (Bedo- 
weens), the noquedah sent his people on shore to get 
water, for which it is always customary to pay : the Bu- 
doos were, as the people thought, rather too exorbitant in 
their demands, and not choosing to comply with them, 
returned to make their report to their master : on hearing 
it, rage immediately seized him, and, determined to have 
the water on his own terms, or perish in the attempt, he 
buckled on his armour, and, attended by his myrmidons, 
carrying their match-locks, guns, and lances, being twenty 
in number, they rowed to the land. My Arabian servant, 
who went on shore with the first party, and saw that the 
Budoos were disposed for fighting, told me that I should 
certainly see a battle. After a parley of about a quarter 
of an hour, with which the Budoos amused them till 
nearly a hundred were assembled, they proceeded to the 
attack, and routed the sailors, who made a precipitate re- 
treat, the noquedah and two others having fallen in the 
action, .and several having been wounded.' Hence, we 
discover the conformity of the ancient and modern cus- 
tom of buying the water, and the serious consequences 
that have ensued from the disputes respecting it. 



GENESIS XXIX. 



17 



xxvii. 44. — Tarry with Laban a few days, until thy 
brother's fury turn away. 

At the Flintshire assizes, in 1821, T. Dutton was found 
guilty of wilful murder. At his execution, addressing the 
spectators, supposed to be about ten thousand, he said, 
i Young people, all take warning by me ; it was passion 
that brought me here/ 

xxviii. 12. — He dreamed, and behold a ladder set 
up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. 

The excellent Mr Hervey did not confine his preaching 
to his church alone, but took every opportunity to preach 
Christ. On one occasion, he preached from the preceding 
passage. He considered the ladder as a type of Christ, 
as the way to the Father. After he had done his duty in 
the church, as he was coming down the lane leading from 
it to the parsonage, his hearers, wishing to show their re- 
gard to him, generally used to stand on each side of the 
lane to pay their respects, by bowing and curtseying to 
him as he passed. As soon as he came to the top of the 
lane, Mr Hervey lifted up his hands, and gave a short 
lecture as he passed, saying, c 0, my friends, I beg of God 
you may not forget this glorious ladder that Almighty God 
hath provided for poor sinners ! — a ladder that will raise 
us above our corruption unto the glorious liberty of the 
sons of God ! 0, my dear friends and hearers, I beg you 
will never forget this glorious ladder ; but hope you will 
daily meditate upon it, till you reach the third heaven.' 

xxix. 17- — Leah was tender-eyed; but Rachel was 
beautiful and well-favoured. 

A gentleman had two children, the one a daughter, who 
was very plain in her person, the other a son, who was 
very beautiful. One day as they were playing together, 
they saw their faces in a looking-glass ; upon which the 
boy was so charmed with his beauty, that he extolled it 
mightily to his sister, who felt these praises as so many 
reflections on her own features. She accordingly ac- 
quainted her father with the affair, and complained of her 
brother's rudeness to her. Upon this the old gentleman, 
instead of being angry, took the children on his knees, and 
embracing them both with the greatest tenderness, gave 
them the following advice : — ' I would have you both look 



18 



GENESIS XXXI. 



at yourselves in the glass every day : you. my son, that 
you may be reminded never to dishonour the beauty of 
your face by the deformity of your actions ; and you. my 
daughter, that you may take care to hide the defect of 
beauty in your person, by the superior lustre of a virtuous 
and amiable conduct.' 

xxx. 14. — Reuben found mandrakes in the field, and 
brought them unto his mother Leah. 

The three sons of an Eastern lady were invited to fur- 
nish her with an expression of their love, before she went 
a long journey. One brought a marble tablet, with the 
inscription of her name ; another presented her with a rich 
garland of fragrant flowers ; the third entered her pre- 
sence, and thus accosted her : ■ Mother, I have neither 
marble tablet nor fragrant nosegay, but I have a heart : 
here your name is engraved, here your memory is precious, 
and this heart, full of affection, will follow you wherever 
you travel, and remain with you wherever you repose.' 

xxxi. 6. — Ye know, that with all my power I have 
served your father. 

Copy of a letter from a master to a young man. on quit- 
ting his service, after a seven years' apprenticeship. 
My dear , 

In looking forward to the moment of personally parting 
with thee to-morrow morning, I believe I must forego it. 
I find it almost as much as I could bear to witness the 
commencement of this scene, this afternoon, though only 
a spectator. Did I feel less for thee, and towards thee, 
than I do. I should not have this difficulty ; but after pass- 
ing seven long years under my roof, and thy conduct and 
conversation, in eveiy respect, being so thoroughly and 
completely to my satisfaction, and after having been ac- 
customed to regard thee almost as one of my own sons. I 
do confess that I feel the separation keenly. If thou wilt 
not think bad of it, I believe we must not meet in the 
morning, but I hope to get a glimpse of thee when passing 
on the carriage. And now, my dear friend, in adopting 
the melancholy word — farewell, how earnestly do I covet 
that thou mayest emphatically fare well in every sense ! 
and that the great and good Master, whom it is thy desire 



GENESIS XXXIV. 19 

to serve, may be pleased more and more to guide thee by 
His counsel, and, in the end, to receive thee into glory. 
Most affectionately thine, 



xxxii. 24. — Jacob was left alone ; and there wrestled 
a man with him until the breaking of the day. 

It was the custom of Mr J ohn Janeway, an eminently 
pious young minister, to set apart a portion of his time, 
daily, for secret retirement and solemn meditation. On 
one of these occasions a friend of his, unknown to him, 
observed all that passed. ' O ! what a spectacle did I see ! ' 
says the relater, ' surely, a man walking with God, con- 
versing intimately with his Maker, and maintaining a holy 
familiarity with the great J ehovah. Methought I saw one 
talking with God. 0! what a glorious sight it was! 
Methinks I see him still ; how sweetly did his face shine ! 
O ! with what lovely countenance did he walk up and down, 
his lips going, his body oft reaching up, as if he would 
have taken his flight into heaven ! His looks, and smiles, 
and every motion, spake him to be on the very confines 
of glory. O ! had one but known what he was then feed- 
ing on! Surely, he had meat to eat which the world 
knew not of ! ' 

xxxiii. 4. — Esau ran to meet him, and embraced 
him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him : and they 
wept. 

On one occasion, when Mr Nott, a missionary, and his 
companions, arrived at the island of Tubuai, the whole of 
its population being engaged in a war, were preparing for 
battle. The missionary and his friends stepped forward 
as mediators, saw the leaders of the contending parties, 
expostulated with them, procured an interview between 
them, and reconciled their differences. The contending 
armies threw down their weapons of war, cordially em- 
braced each other, went in company to a new buildicg 
which was devoted to the service of God, and sat side by 
side to hear the Gospel of peace, which was now published 
to many of them for the first time. 

xxxiv. 30. — Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have 
troubled me, to make me to stink among the in- 
habitants of the land. 



20 



GENESIS XXXVII. 



The Spaniards, by their cruelty to the natives of the 
island of Cuba, rendered themselves odious, and excited 
in the minds of the inhabitants the strongest prejudices 
against their religion. A chief, who had been condemned 
to be burnt, when brought to the stake was exhorted to 
embrace Christianity, assured that thereby he would be 
admitted to heaven. The chief asked if there were any 
Spaniards in heaven. 1 Yes,' said the priest who attended 
him, * but they are all good ones/ The chief replied, 4 1 
cannot bring myself to go to a place where I should meet 
with but one ; therefore, do not speak to me any more of 
your religion, but let me die.' 

xxxv. 7. — He built there an altar, and called the 
place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto 
him. 

The Rev. Mr Brown of Haddington, sometime before 
his death, being engaged in conversation with a brother, 
Dunfermline was mentioned, upon which he said, that with 
pleasure he recollected the time when he went over the 
hills of Cleish from Gairney Bridge, to hear that great 
man of God, Mr Ralph Erskine, ' whose sermons,' said he, 

* I thought were brought home by the Spirit of God to 
my heart ; at these times I thought I met with the God of 
Israel, and saw him face to face.' 

xxxvi. 15. — These were dukes of the sons of Esau. 
Duke Hamilton, a pious young nobleman, during his 

last illness, was at one time lying on a sofa, conversing 
with his tutor on some astronomical subject, and about 
the nature of the fixed stars : ' Ah ! ' said he, ' in a very 
little while I shall know more of this than all of you to- 
gether.' When his death approached, he called his 
brother to his bed side, and, addressing him with the 
greatest affection and seriousness, he concluded by saying, 

* And now, Douglas, in a little while you will be a Duke, 
but I shall be a Kixg ! ' 

xxxvii. 33. — An evil beast hath devoured him: 
Joseph is, without doubt, rent in pieces. 

The Moravian missionaries, in South Africa, write the 
following account in their diary : — ' July J, 1830. — George 
Yager met with a very serious accident. Passing through 



GENESIS XXXIX. 



21 



the wood, he encountered a wounded wild buffalo, which 
immediately attacked him, and gored him in a most ter- 
rible manner. George was without arms, and could not 
defend himself. The buffalo threw him upon his back, and 
trod upon him, and would have killed him in a short time, 
had not God heard his cry, and helped him in this great 
distress. The manner of his deliverance was singular. 
A large dog, unknown to George, came and attacked the 
wild beast behind, and while the buffalo defended himself 
against the dog, George crawled to, and climbed up a tree, 
where he waited till the buffalo was driven off. Then, 
first, he discovered how severely he had been wounded ; 
nor was he able to do more than get down and creep into 
a ditch, where he expected to bleed to death, no human 
help being at hand. In the night he suffered much from 
the cold wind. About noon on the second day, a boy 
providentially strayed into that part of the wood, dis- 
covered the wounded man, and brought tidings of his 
situation ; upon which some of our people, with a small 
cart, conveyed him home. He was, however, so far gone, 
that we expected he would die under the operation of un- 
dressing and washing ; but God blessed so effectually the 
means used, that in a few days hopes could be entertained 
of his recovery.' 

xxxviii. 21. — There was no harlot in this place. 
The Eev. Dr TTaugh was enlarging one evening, at a 

public Sabbath School meeting, on the blessings of educa- 
tion ; and, turning to his native country, Scotland, for 
proof, told his auditors the following anecdote : — ' At a 
board-day at the Penitentiary at Millbank, the food of the 
prisoners was discussed, and it was proposed to give Scotch 
broth thrice a-week. Some of the governors were not 
aware what sort of broth the barley made, and desired to 
taste some before they sanctioned the measure. One of 
the officers was accordingly directed to go to the wards 
and bring a Scotch woman, competent to the culinary task, 
to perform it in the kitchen. After long delay, the board 
supposing the broth was preparing all the while, the officer 
returned, and told their honours that there teas no Scotch 
woman in the house.' 

xxxix. 21. — The Lord gave Joseph favour in the 
sight of the keeper of the prison. 



22 



GENESIS XL. 



The respectability of Mr Banyan's character, and the 
propriety of his conduct, while in prison at Bedford, ap- 
pear to hare operated very powerfully- on the mind of the 
jailor, who showed hirti ranch kindness, in permitting him 
to go out and visit his friends occasionally, and once to 
take a journey to London. It is stated, that some of his 
persecutors in London, knowing that he was often out of 
prison, sent an officer to talk with the jailor on the sub- 
ject : and. in order to discover the fact, he was to get there 
in the middle of the night. Banyan was at home with his 
family, but so restless that he could not sleep : he there- 
fore acquainted his wife that, though the jailor had given 
him liberty to stay till the morning, yet. from his uneasi- 
ness, he must immediately return. He did so. and the 
jailor blamed him for coming in at such an unseasonable 
hour. Early in the morning the messenger came, and in- 
terrogating the jailor, said. - Are all the prisoners safe?' 
•Yes." *Is John Bunyan safe?' -Yes/ "Let me see 
him.' He was called, and appeared, and all was well. 
After the messenger was gone, the jailor, addressing Mi 
Bunyan. said. 'Well, you may go in and out again just 
when you think proper, for you know when to return bet- 
ter than I can tell you.' 

xl. 7, 8. — Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day? An i 
they said unto him. We have dreamed a dream, and 
there is no interpreter of it. 

A pious lady having occasion to go to the country on a 
visit to some friends, her road lay through a place where 
a gay acquaintance of hers lived. She called on her ; and, 
perceiving that she did not look well, and seemed a good 
deal flurried, she asked the reason. At first, she made 
light of it. but soon afterwards acknowledged that she was 
a little agitated with a foolish dream she had had the night 
before, which she related as follows : — 1 In my sleep, I 
thought that I was in my dining room, with a large party 
of friends, when a most frightful figure appeared at the 
window, and seemed as if he wanted to get in. I asked 
what it was. and being told it was Death. I was exceed- 
ingly alarmed, and begged they would keep him out ; but 
in spite of all their efforts, he forced his -way in. and 
pointed his dart at me. I prayed earnestly that he 
would go away and not hurt me : on which he said. ;i That 
he would leave me for the present, but in nine days he 



GENESIS XLT. 



23 



would return and take no denial." After this, I thought 
I was carried to a beautiful place, where I saw an immense 
company of people, who all appeared to be exceedingly 
happy. I understood it was heaven, and felt greatly dis- 
appointed and astonished that I did not find myself happy. 
I was not able to join in their employments, nor could I 
understand the cause of their joy. While I was musing 
on all this, one came to me, whom I supposed to be an 
angel. I asked him if this was Heaven ? He answered, 
" Yes." " How does it happen then," said I, " that I am 
not happy ?" " Because," he replied, " it is not your 
place." He then asked how I came there ? I told him 
I did not know. On saying this, he conducted me to a 
door, which opening, I was instantly precipitated towards 
a most dreadful place, from which issued such doleful 
groans and piercing shrieks, as awoke me from my sleep.' 
Having given this account of her dream, her visitor spoke 
to her very seriously, and advised her to consider it as a 
warning from God to attend to her best interests, and to 
prepare for death and eternity. Perhaps she would really 
die at the time when Death said he would return, and 
how sad would it be if she slighted the admonition, and was 
found unprepared ! This conversation was not relished ; 
and to put an end to it, the poor thoughtless lady rang 
her bell, and desired the servant to bring her some milli- 
nery articles, that had been sent home the day before, to 
show them to her friend, who, perceiving her design, 
very soon left her, and proceeded on her journey. In a 
fortnight she returned the same way, and as she entered 
the place where her gay acquaintance resided, she met a 
splendid funeral, which she was told was her friend's, 
who had died on the very day mentioned in her dream. 

xli. 42, 43. — Pharaoh took off his ring from his 
hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him 
in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his 
neck : And he made him to ride in the second chariot 
which he had. 

When the great Duke of Cumberland commanded in 
Germany, he was particularly pleased with the ability and 
valour of a serjeant belonging to his own regiment. 
Having observed the gallantry of this man, and made 
several inquiries into his private character, his Royal 
Highness took occasion, after a great exploit which the 



24 



GENESIS XLTII. 



Serjeant had performed, to give him a commission. Some 
time afterwards he came to the Duke, and entreated his 
leave to resign the rank which he held. Surprised at so 
extraordinary a request, the Duke demanded the reason, 
and was told by the applicant that he was now separated 
from his old companions by his elevation, and not ad- 
mitted into the company of his brother officers, who con- 
sidered themselves degraded by his appointment. 4 Oh ! 
is that the case ?' said the Duke, 'let the matter rest for 
a day or two, and I will soon find means of putting an end 
to your disquietude.' The next morning his Royal High- 
ness went on the parade, when he was received by a 
circle of officers ; and, while he was engaged in con- 
versation, he perceived his old friend walking, at a dis- 
tance, by himself. On this the Duke said, 1 Pray, gen- 
tlemen, what has that officer done that he should be 
drummed out of your councils ? and without waiting for 
an answer, he went up, took the man by the arm, and 
thus accompanied, went through all the lines. When 
the parade was over, Lord Ligonier respectfully desired 
his Royal Highness to honour the mess with his pre- 
sence that day : — ' With all my heart,' replied the Duke, 
' provided I bring my friend, here, with me.' 4 I hope so,' 
said his Lordship ; and from that day the gentleman's 
company was rather courted than shunned by the highest 
officer in the service. 

xlii. 4. — But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent 
not with his brethren : for he said, Lest peradventure 
mischief befall him. 

Mr Samuel Eairclough, when at College, became tutor 
to the Earl of Northampton's sons. When his pupil was 
going on his travels, the Earl made handsome proposals 
to Mr Fairclough to accompany him. But consulting 
his mother on the subject, she, who had lost several sons 
already, was unwilling to part with him, as Jacob with 
Benjamin. Upon which, falling on his knees, he said, 
1 Dear mother, though my inclination is strong to travel 
with such company, since I know your pleasure, I feel 
already far greater satisfaction in denying my own will 
for yours, than I can in any way find in the journey.' 

xliii. 29. — He lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother 



GENESIS XLV. 25 

Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your 
younger brother of whom ye spake unto me ? 

As one of the water-bearers at the fountain of the 
Faubourg St Germain, in Paris, was at his usual labours, 
in 1766, he was taken away by a gentleman in a splendid 
carriage, who proved to be his own brother, and who, 
at the age of three years, had been carried to India, 
where he acquired considerable wealth. On his return to 
Prance, he had made inquiry respecting his family ; and 
hearing that he had only one brother alive, and that he 
was in the humble condition of a water-bearer, he sought 
him out, embraced Mm with great affection, and brought 
him to his house, where he gave him bills for upw r ards of 
a thousand crowns per annum. 

xliv. 33. — I pray thee let thy servant abide instead 
of the lad a bondman to my lord ; and let the lad go 
up with his brethren. 

Paulinus, a native of Bordeaux, and Bishop of Nola, 
was a man of great benevolence. Under the Yandalie 
persecution, many Christians were carried slaves out of 
Italy into Africa, for whose redemption Paulinus ex- 
pended his whole estate. At last a widow came to him, 
and entreated him to give her as much as would ransom 
her son : he told her he had not one penny left ; nothing 
but his own person, w T hich he would freely give to procure 
her son's ransom. This the woman looked upon as de- 
riding her calamity, and not pitying her case ; but he 
assured her he was in earnest ; and both took shipping 
for Africa. On their arrival, Paulinus addressed him- 
self to the prince, begged the release of the widow's son, 
and offered himself in his room. Paulinus, it is said, then 
became the prince's slave, who employed him in keeping 
his garden. His master having discovered who he was, 
set him at liberty, and gave him leave to ask what he 
would. He begged the release of all his countrymen 
then in bondage, which was granted, and all were joyfully 
sent home. 

xlv. 5. — God did send me before you to preserve life. 

During the seventeenth century, while the Eev. John 
Cotton was minister of Boston, intelligence reached that 
town of the distress of the poor Christians at Sigatea, 



26 



GENESIS XLYli. 



where a small church existed, the members of which 
were reduced to great extremity of suffering by persecu- 
tion. Mr Cotton immediately began to collect for them, 
and sent the sum of £700 for their relief. It is remark- 
able, that this relief arriyed the very day after they had 
divided their last portion of meal, without any prospect 
but that of dying a lingering death, and immediately 
after their pastor, Mr White, had preached to them from 
Psalm xxiii. 1, 4 The Lord is my Shepherd ; I shall not 
want.' 

xlvi. 29. — Joseph made ready his chariot, and went 
up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented 
himself unto him ; and he fell on his neck, and wept 
on his neck a good while. 

Ali Bey, Sheik Bellet, or chief Bey of Egypt, ordered 
a person, whom he had occasion to send to Constantinople 
to transact some business for him in that city, when there 
to find out his father, and bring him back with him into 
Egypt. His agent was successful, and brought him over ; 
and when Daout (or David), which was the name of the 
Greek priest, who was Ali's father, approached Cairo, the 
capital of Egypt, where the Sheik resided, Ali went out 
of the city with a numerous retinue to meet his father, 
and as soon as he saw him, he fell on his knees and 
kissed his father's hand. Proceeding afterwards to his 
palace, Daout's feet having been washed by the domestics, 
he was led into the harem, and presented to the Princess 
Mary (Ali's principal wife) and her child. 

xlvii. SO. — I will lie with my fathers ; and thou shalt 
carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying- 

place. 

At the time when his Majesty George the Third, desir- 
ous that himself and family should repose in a less public 
sepulchre than that of Westminster Abbey, had ordered 
a royal tomb to be constructed at "Windsor, Mr Wyatt, his 
architect, waited upon him, with a detailed report and 
plan of the building, and of the manner in which he pro- 
posed to arrange its various recesses. The king minutely 
examined the whole, and when finished, Mr Wyatt, in 
thanking his Majesty, said, 'he had ventured to occupy 
so much of his Maj esty's time and attention with these 
details, in order that it might not be necessary to bring 



GENESIS XL1X. 



27 



fo ramful a subject again under his notice,' To this the 
good king replied, 1 Mr Wyatt, I request that you will 
bring the subject before me whenever you please. I shall 
attend with as much pleasure to the building of a tomb to 
receive me when I am dead, as I would to the decoration 
of a drawing-room to hold me while living ; for, Mr 
Wyatt, if it please God that I shall live to be ninety or a 
hundred years old, I am willing to stay ; but if it please 
God to take me this night, I am ready to obey the 
summons.' 

xlviii. 3. — Jacob said unto Joseph^ God Almighty 
appeared unto me at Luz, in the land of Canaan, and 
blessed me. 

The following remarkable passage was found written 
by Mr John Howe with his own hand, in Latin, on a 
blank leaf of his Bible :— ; Dec. 26, 1689.— After that I 
had long, seriously, and repeatedly thought within my- 
self, that, besides a full and undoubted assent to the ob- 
jects of faith, a vivifying savoury taste and relish of them 
was also necessary, that, with stronger force, and more 
powerful energy, they might penetrate into the most in- 
ward centre of my heart, and there, being most deeply 
fixed and rooted, govern my life ; and that there could be 
no other sure ground whereon to conclude and pass a 
sound judgment on my good estate God-ward; and after 
I had, in my course of preaching, been largely insisting 
on 2 Cor. i. 12, this very morning I awoke out of a most 
ravishing and delightful dream, that a wonderful and 
copious stream of celestial rays, from the lofty throne of 
the Divine Majesty, seemed "to dart into my expanded 
breast. — I have often since, with great complacency, re- 
flected on that very signal pledge of special Divine favour, 
vouchsafed to me on that noted memorable day, and 
have, with repeated fresh pleasure, tasted the delights 
thereof.' 

xlix. 2. — Gather yourselves together and hear, ye 
sons of Jacob ; and hearken unto Israel your father. 

The Rev. Henry Erskine, the father of Ebenezer and 
Ralph, having been seized with a fever, and aware that 
his end was approaching, called for his children, and ad- 
dressed them with an air of heavenly authority. Of nine 
that were then alive, six were present. As a dying man, 



28 



EXODUS I. 



and a dying father, he bore his testimony to the superior 
excellence of the ways of God ; told them that the ad- 
vantages of real religion infinitely outweighed all the 
difficulties that can possibly attend it ; assured them that 
as he had never repented, so, more especially then, he 
did not repent of any hardships he had endured in his 
Master's service ; and expressed his full persuasion that 
he was going to heaven, and that, if they were followers 
of his faith and patience, he and they should ere long 
have a joyful meeting there. 

1. 21. — Fear ye not; I will nourish you, and your 
little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly 
unto them. 

The father of that eminent lawyer, Mr Sergeant Glan- 
vill, had a good estate, which he intended to settle on his 
eldest son ; but he proving a vicious young man, and 
there being no hopes of his recovery, he devolved it upon 
the sergeant, who was his second son. Upon the father's 
death, his eldest son, finding that what he had considered 
before as the mere threatenings of an angry old man, 
were now but too certain, became melancholy, which by 
degrees wrought in him so great a change, that what his 
father could not prevail in while he lived, was now 
effected by the severity of his last will. His brother, ob- 
serving this, invited him, together with many of his 
friends, to a feast, where, after other dishes had been 
served up, he ordered one which was covered to be set 
before his brother, and desired him to uncover it : upon his 
doing which, the company, no less than himself, were 
surprised to find it full of writings : and still more when 
the sergeant told them, ' that he was now doing what he 
was sure his father would have done, had he lived to see 
the happy change which now they all saw in his brother ; 
and therefore he freely restored to him the whole estate.' 



EXODUS. 

Chap. i. ver. 17. — They feared God, and did not as 
the king of Egypt commanded them. 

When Alexander the Great was rebuilding the temple 
of Belus, he ordered the Jewish soldiers who were in his 



EXODUS III. 



29 



army to work as the rest had done ; but they could not be 
prevailed on to give their assistance, excusing themselves 
by observing, that as idolatry was forbidden by the tenets 
of their religion, they were not allowed to assist in the 
building of a temple designed for idolatrous worship ; 
and accordingly not one lent a hand on this occasion. 
They were punished for disobedience, but all to no pur- 
pose ; so that, at last, Alexander, admiring the firmness 
of their resolution, discharged, and sent them home. 

ii. 23. — The children of Israel sighed by reason of 
the bondage. 

It is stated that at least fifty thousand poor creatures 
are carried away from Africa every year to be made 
slaves ! And their sufferings in the ships, as they cross 
the sea, as well as on their coming to the place of slavery, 
are beyond belief. In one instance, a black having been 
seized and carried off to the coast, to be put on board a 
ship, his mother hastened to offer a sum of money for his 
freedom. The white man took the money ; bat — horrid 
to relate — seized the mother, and two days after shipped 
both mother and son for America. The son, indignant at 
the outrage, stabbed himself, saying, ' Thou white man, 
devourer of blacks, I cannot revenge myself on thee but 
by depriving thee of my person !' While the rash and 
forbidden act of this unhappy slave is by no means to be 
approved, it paints in the blackest colours the treachery, 
injustice, and cruelty of the wretch that drove him to 
this awful extremity. 

iii. 11. — Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, 
and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out 
of Egypt? 

Mr Newton, speaking of his situation, after having 
been settled in London, says, 'That one of the most 
ignorant, the most miserable, and the most abandoned of 
slaves, should be plucked from his forlorn state of exile 
on the coast of Africa, and at length be appointed 
minister of the parish of the first magistrate of the first 
city in the world — that he should then not only testify of 
such grace, but stand up as a singular instance and 
monument of it — that he should be enabled to record it 
in his history, preaching, and writings, to the world at 
large, is a fact I can contemplate with admiration, but 



30 



EXODUS V. 



never sufficiently estimate.' This reflection, indeed, 
was so present to his mind, on all occasions, and in ail 
places, that he seldom passed a single day anywhere, 
but he was found referring to the strange event in one 
way or other. 

iv. 11. — Who maketh the deaf? 

* I have in my congregation,' said a venerable minister 
of the Gospel, 4 a worthy aged woman, who has for many 
years been so deaf as not to distinguish the loudest 
sound, and yet she is always one of the first in the meet- 
ing. On asking the reason of her constant attendance, 
as it was impossible for her to hear my voice, she 
answered, " Though I cannot hear you, I come to God's 
house because I love it, and would be found in His ways : 
and He gives me many a sweet thought upon the text, 
when it is pointed out to me : another reason is, because 
there I am in the best company, in the more immediate 
presence of God, and amongst His saints, the honourable 
of the earth. I am not satisfied with serving God in 
private : it is my duty and privilege to honour Him regu- 
larly and constantly in public." ' 

v. 1, 2. — Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pha- 
raoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people 
go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilder- 
ness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I 
should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not 
the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. 

The American missionaries having been admitted to 
an interview with the Emperor of Burmah, presented a 
petition, requesting permission to preach the Gospel in 
his dominions. After the Emperor had perused it, he 
handed it back without saying a word, and took a tract, 
which was also presented to him. 1 Our hearts,' say the 
missionaries, 4 now rose to God for a display of His grace. 
0, have mercy on Burmah ! Have mercy on her king !' 
But, alas ! the time was not yet come. He held the tract 
long enough to read the first two sentences, which assert 
that there is one eternal God, who is independent of the 
incidents of mortality; and that, besides Him, there is 
no God : and then, with an air of indifference, perhaps 
disdain, he dashed it down to the ground ! Moung Zah 



EXODUS VII. 



31 



(one of his ministers) stooped forward, picked it up, and 
handed it to us. Moung Yo made a slight attempt to 
save us, by unfolding one of the volumes which com- 
posed our present, and displaying its beauty, but his 
Majesty took no notice. Our fate was decided. After a 
few moments, Moung Zah interpreted his royal master's 
will in the following terms : — "In regard to the objects of 
your petition, his Majesty gives no order; in regard to 
your sacred books, his Majesty has no use for them 
take them away." 5 

vL 30. — Moses said before the Lord, Behold I am of 
un circumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken 
unto me ? 

1 One Lord's day,' a minister writes in his diary, ' my 
mind was borne dovrn by a sense of my unpreparedness 
for the work of the day ; my fears rose so high, as greatly 
to affect my body. This fear, as to its nature, was an 
apprehension of being left to barrenness in the work of 
the day. Its cause was viewing the greatness of the 
work, and the weakness of my own abilities, without 
looking to God. Its cure, I thought, must be a view of the 
Lord's ability to help me, and a reliance on Him for aid. 
I went to meeting in the depth of fear, but the Lord did 
not leave me in it after His service began ; for both in 
prayer and preaching I enjoyed unusual liberty. After 
this my proud heart was too much elated : and the Lord 
very justly left me to great connectedness in the after- 
noon.' 

vii. 11. — Then Pharaoh also called the wise men 
and the sorcerers : now the magicians of Egypt, they 
also did in like manner with their enchantments. 

The missionaries at Poonah, in the East Indies, speak- 
ing of the heathen superstitions, and more particularly 
describing one that has lately arisen, say, — ' Xarayun 
Bhas was the son of a labourer, in a small village equi- 
distant from ^Vall and Satiara. He had been taught, 
when nine years of age, the art of catching serpents. 
This wonderful faculty, possessed by so young a boy, was 
given out as proving his origin to be divine. This was 
soon noised abroad throughout the whole country, and 
vast numbers flocked from all quarters to see this new 



32 



EXODUS IX. 



divinity. It was given out that he could cleanse lepers, 
give sight to the blind, etc. As soon as ever we men- 
tioned the miracles of Christ, those of Narayun Bhas 
were appealed to by the deluders and the deluded. 
Several lepers were seated by his directions at the side of 
a rivulet, waiting for a miraculous cure. Things went on 
in this way for four or five months : at last, some one, 
to try him, brought a very venomous serpent for him to 
catch. On this occasion, his usual tact was wanting; 
the serpent bit him, and in a few minutes after, the boy 
died. The eyes of some people seem to be open to the 
imposture : others expect that he is immediately to appear 
again in the family of a Brahmin near this, if he has not 
already appeared. ' 

viii. 19. — This is the finger of God. 

4 I have been thrown from my pony,' said a little boy 
to his father : ' but, by chance. I am not hurt.' ' I am 
glad to hear of your safe escape, my dear child ; but you 
ought to ascribe it to Providence. Chance is blind, and 
cannot protect us : Providence watches over us all. Look 
round on nature — on those things most obvious to your 
senses, the plants, trees, animals, and yourself ; lift your 
eyes to heaven — see the beautiful regularity of the 
planetary orbs, the return of day and night, and the re- 
volution of seasons : then reflect, can these things be the 
effect of chance ? Xo : a Supreme Power rules and 
directs the order of the universe, and holds the chain of 
events. Learn to acknowledge this great and good Being 
in everything that befalls you. Look up to His superin- 
tending providence for every blessing you would wish to 
receive, and every danger you are anxious to avoid, and 
scorn to be indebted to chance for what you really owe 
to your Father and your God.' 

ix. 16. — In very deed for this cause have I raised 
thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my 
name may be declared throughout all the earth. 

1 TThen God is about to perform any great work,' says 
Mr Xewton, 'He generally permits some great opposition 
to it. Suppose Pharaoh had acquiesced in the departure 
of the children of Israel, or that they had met with no 
difficulties in the way, they would indeed have passed 



EXODUS XI, 



33 



from Egypt to Canaan with ease; but they, as well as 
the Church in all future ages, would have been great 
losers. The wonder-working God would not have been 
in those extremities which make His arm so visible. A 
smooth passage here, would have made but a poor story.' 

x. 20. — The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. 

In a conversation with the Vice-Patriarch at the Greek 
Convent at Cairo, and his secretary, Mr Jowett inti- 
mated that it would be desirable that the Greeks in Cairo 
should possess the Holy Scriptures. 4 These artizans,* 
observed the secretary, 'how can they understand the 
Scriptures, unless we explain them ? How would a com- 
mon man understand that passage, " The Lord hardened 
Pharaoh's heart ? " Would he not be led to think that 
God was the author of Pharaoh's sin?' ' On this show 
of controversy, I retired,' says Mr J., 4 for a few moments 
into my own thoughts : and, having paused in that way, 
which the long pipe with which I was furnished gave an 
opportunity of doing, I turned to the secretary, and asked 
how he would explain that passage, which was certainly 
a difficult one.' He replied, 4 God permitted Pharaoh to 
remain in his hardened state of nature.' 4 Very well,' I 
said, 4 the explanation which satisfies you, would most 
probably satisfy every common reader of the Bible, as it 
does me.' 

xi. 7. — But against any of the children of Israel shall 
not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast ; that 
ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference 
between the Egyptians and Israel. 

Although it is true that, in the general course of Divine 
Providence, 4 no man knoweth. either love or hatred by 
all that is before them, ' and that 4 all things come alike 
to all,' and 4 there is one event to the righteous and to 
the wicked,' yet there are many instances in which we 
may 4 discern between the righteous and the wicked • be- 
tween him that serveth God, and him that serveth Him 
not,' and are called to acknowledge, 4 Verily there is a 
reward for the righteous ; verily He is a God that judgeth 
in the earth.' — About the time when the Gospel was be- 
ginning to make its way in Kaiatea, one of the South Sea 
Islands, a canoe, with four men in it, was upset at sea, 
and the people were thrown into the water. Two of the 



c 




34 



EXODUS XIII. 



men having embraced Christianity, immediately cried, 
1 Let us pray to Jehovah ; for He can save us.' — ' Why 
did you not pray to Him sooner ?' replied their Pagan com- 
rades ; ' here we are in the water, and it is useless to pray 
now.' The Christians, however, did cry mightily unto 
their God, while all four were clinging for life to the 
broken canoe. In this situation, a shark suddenly rushed 
towards them, and seized one of the two idolaters. His 
companions held him as fast and as long as they could ; 
but the monster prevailed in the tug between them, and 
hurried the unfortunate victim into the abyss, marking 
the track with his blood. After some time, the tide bore 
the surviving three to the reef, when, just as they were 
cast upon it, a second shark snatched the other idolater 
with his jaws, and carried off his prey, shrieking in vain 
for assistance, which the two Christians, themselves 
struggling with the breakers, could not afford him. This 
circumstance made a great impression on the minds of 
their countrymen, and powerfully recommended to them 
the i God that heareth prayer.' 

xii. 26, 27. — When your children shall say unto you, 
What mean ye by this service ? ye shall say, It is the 
sacrifice of the Lord's passover. 

The mother of Dr Samuel Johnson was a woman of 
great good sense and piety ; and she was the means of 
early impressing religious principles on the mind of her 
son. He used to say, that he distinctly remembered hav- 
ing had the first notice of heaven, ' a place to which 
good people go,' and hell, 'a place to which bad people 
go,' communicated to him by her, when a little child in 
bed with her ; and that it might be the better fixed in his 
memory, she sent him to repeat it to her man servant. 
He being out of the way, this was not done : but there 
was no occasion for any artificial aid for its preserva- 
tion. When the Doctor related this circumstance, he 
added, ' that children should be always encouraged im- 
mediately to tell what they hear, that is particularly 
striking, to some brother, sister, or servant, before the 
impression is erased by the intervention of newer occur- 
rences.' 

xiii. 19. — Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. 
WicklifFe, the first English reformer, was seized with 



EXODUS XVI. 



35 



palsy, while engaged in public worship in his church at 
Lutterworth, which, in three days, put a period to his 
life. His body was interred in the chancel of the church ; 
but the resentment of his enemies did not terminate with 
his life. Having first ordered his works to be burnt, his 
bones, by a decree of the Council of Constance, were 
commanded to be dug up and committed to the flames ; 
which disgraceful mandate was carried into effect thirteen 
years afterwards. 

xiv. 13. — Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not; 
stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. 

The Rev. Mt Monteith, late of Alnwick, on his way 
from London, called on the Rev. James Hervey. Being 
asked by him, 'What news in the city ? he replied, 
' Every thing is preparing for war ;' upon which Mr 
Hervey said, with much sweetness and composure, 
'Well, God will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind 
is stayed on Him, because he trusteth in Him.' 

xv. 10. — Thou didst blow with thy wind, the sea 
covered them. 

When the Spaniards, on the defeat of their Invincible 
Armada, stung with disappointment, and wishing to detract 
from the honour which our brave defenders had acquired, 
exclaimed, that the English had little reason to boast, for 
if the elements had not fought against them, they would 
certainly have conquered us ; the enlarged and vivid mind 
of Queen Elizabeth improved the hint. She commanded 
a medal to be struck, representing the Armada scattered 
and sinking in the back-ground; and in the front, the 
Britishfleet riding triumphant, with the precedingpassage 
as a motto round the medal: ' Thou didst blow with thy 
wind, and the sea covered them.' It becomes us to say 
in reference to this, as well as many other national deli- 
verances, 'Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us 
as a prey to their teeth.' 

xvi. 23. — To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sab- 
bath unto the Lord; bake that which ye will bake to- 
day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which re- 
maineth over lay up for you, to be kept until the morn- 
ing. 

'While at tea this evening,' says Mr Stewart, mission- 



36 



EXODUS XYII. 



ary at the Sandwich. Islands, ' we heard a herald passing 
through the district — the manner in which all the general 
orders of the king and chiefs are commnnicated to their 
vassals — making a proclamation to the people. On in- 
quiring of the native hoys in our yard, we learned that 
the object of it was to inform the people, that the next 
day but one would be the Sabbath, and to command them 
to have all their food prepared on the morrow, and not 
to break the commandment of God. by working on the 
" la sabau" — sacred day. Heralds have very frequently 
been out on a Saturday evening, to give intelligence of 
the approach of the Sabbath, and to command its ob- 
servance ; but this is the first time we have heard it noti- 
fied so seasonably, as to take all excuse from those who 
disregard it.' 

xvii. 2. — Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? 

A farmer named Higgins, an inhabitant of Baltons- 
borough, in Somersetshire, died about the end of 1831. 
From the time of his marriage in 1793, he became ex- 
tremely anxious to have a son ; but his wife presenting 
him with three daughters in succession, he became very 
disconsolate, and even enraged at his repeated disap- 
pointment, and vowed, with an oath of imprecation, that 
should his next child be a daughter, he would never speak 
to her. Before the birth of his fourth child, he impiously 
repeated the same solemn vow: the child, however, to his 
inexpressible joy, proved to be a boy; but the father's 
satisfaction was of short continuance, for the child, as 
soon as it began to take notice of surroanding objects, 
was observed to avoid him, and never could be induced, 
even for a moment, to remain in his arms. As the boy 
advanced in years, and the time of articulation arrived, 
his shyness towards his father became more and more 
apparent ; and it was soon observed, that whilst he con- 
versed freely with his mother and sisters, he never ad- 
dressed a word to his father, or uttered a syllable in his pre- 
sence. His shyness was at first thought to be accidental, 
as his father was much from home ; but when the boy 
had gained the full powers of speech, and still observed a 
constant and marked silence towards him, it became but 
too evident that Higgins was destined never to hold any 
conversation with his son. The afflicted parent often en- 
treated him to speak to him and converse with him, but 



EXODUS XIX. 



37 



neither entreaties, threats, nor promises, were of the 
least avail ; he even promised him half of what he pos- 
sessed if he would converse or even speak to him; but it 
was all to no purpose. The mother also often desired 
him to oblige his father by talking to him ; but his reply 
was, ' No, mother, do you not think I would talk to father 
if I could ? Whenever father approaches me, my voice 
begins to falter ; and before he comes within hearing, the 
power of speaking entirely fails me.' It is remarkable, 
that the inability of speaking applied to all other males 
as well as the father, and continued so for thirty-five 
years, up to the period of his father's death. Immedi- 
ately after this occurrence, he began to converse with all 
around, males as well as females ; and he still continues 
to enjoy the full powers of speech. How sinful and dan- 
gerous to cherish or express dissatisfaction with the ar- 
rangements of the all-wise Providence of God! "Woe to 
him that striveth with his Maker. 

xviii. 21, 22. — Thou shalt provide out of all the 
people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, 
hating covetousness, — and let them judge the people at 
all seasons. 

Sir Matthew Hale, in one of his circuits, had a buck 
sent for his table, by a gentleman who had a trial at the 
assizes. When Sir Matthew heard the gentleman's name, 
he asked, 'If he was not the same person that had sent 
him venison ? ' And finding he was the same, he told him 
he could not suffer the trial to go on till he had paid him 
for his buck. The gentleman observed, that he never 
sold his venison, and that he did nothing to him which he 
did not do to every judge who had gone that circuit; the 
truth of which was confirmed by several gentlemen then 
present. The Lord Chief Baron, however, would not pro- 
ceed with the trial till he had paid for the present, upon 
which the gentleman withdrew the record. At Salisbury, 
too, the Dean and Chapter having, according to custom, 
presented him with six sugar loaves in his circuit, he 
made his servants pay for the sugar before he would try 
their cause. 

xix. 16. — There were thunders and lightnings, and a 
thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trum- 



88 



EXODUS XX. 



pet exceeding loud ; so that all the people that was in 
the camp trembled. 

Mr Richard Morris, pastor of a Baptist church in Eng- 
land, when a young man, attended as a spectator a funeral 
which he had followed into St Mary's Church, at Stam- 
ford. His mind being peculiarly solemnised and softened 
by the scene, the blast of six trumpets sounded together, 
to set the evening watch, and reverberated through the 
dome, striking the whole audience with awe. It was a 
natural association of ideas, which, at such a moment, 
called up with peculiar vividness the thought that he must 
certainly hear the tremendous sound of the trump of God. 
With this impression fresh upon his mind, Mr Morris 
retired to his room, and endeavoured to lift up his heart 
to that God who he knew must be his judge. His 
prayer was heard, and although he was at this time, as 
he confessed, totally unacquainted with the nature of 
salvation by Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Gospel, as 
w T ell as with the agency of the Holy Spirit, as necessary 
to bring the soul to a personal acquaintance with it, yet 
he was enabled to break off, from this time, his former 
habits, and to enter, though with very obscure notions, 
upon a religious life. This trifling occurrence, acting 
with peculiar force upon his imagination, seems to have 
been the means of permanently arresting his attention, 
and of giving rise to those workings of conscience which 
issued in his conversion. 

xx. 7. — Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guilt- 
less that taketh his name in vain. 

The Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, when crossing the Eorth 
from Leith to Kinghorn, had the unhappiness to find 
himself in the midst of ungodly passengers, who took the 
most unhallowed liberties with their Creator's name. Eor 
a time he was silent, but at last, unable to suppress his 
concern, and solicitous to curb their blaspheming tongues, 
he rose from his seat, and taking hold of the mast, un- 
covered his head, waved his hat, and cried aloud, ' O 
yes ! O yes ! O yes ! ' Having thus secured the attention 
of the astonished passengers and crew, he proceeded, in 
a solemn and impressive manner, to proclaim that com- 
mandment of the moral law which they were flagrantly 



EXODUS XXI. 



39 



violating, 1 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless 
that taketh His name in vain.' Without adding a single 
word, he quitted the mast, covered his head, and re- 
sumed his seat. The giddy company, however, resolved 
to harden themselves against the striking reproof. They 
began first to elbow each other, then to titter, and at last, 
to be avenged on their kind reprover, they burst into a fit 
of loud laughter. Their conversation soon became as pro- 
fane and offensive as before. Among the rest, a lady, laying 
aside the delicacy of the sex, and regardless alike of the 
authority of God and the maxims of politeness, seemed 
to find a malicious pleasure in giving emphasis to almost 
every sentence, by intermixing the sacred name, accom- 
panied with smiles of derision and contempt, obviously 
intended to mortify the venerable man. It pleased God, 
however, to second the despised warning of his servant 
by an alarming admonition of His providence. When they 
had got to the north of Inchkeith, a tempest suddenly 
arose ; the heavens became black with clouds — the sea 
raged — the danger was imminent — the pilot, unable to 
keep hold of the helm, assured them that their fate was 
inevitable. This unexpected alteration of circumstances 
produced at least a temporary change on their spirit and 
appearance. Their sportive gaiety gave place to conster- 
nation and despair. The same lady who had acted so 
insolent a part towards the faithful clergyman, over- 
whelmed with dismay, now sprang across the boat, and 
clasped her arms around his neck, exclaiming, ' O Sir, 
if I die here, I will die with you.' Through the Divine 
patience and forbearance, however, they wea f hered the 
storm, and reached the harbour in safety. 

xxi. 5. — I love my master; I will not go out free. 

A gentleman in Virginia had in his service a negro 
youth, about fourteen years of age, named Scipio. The 
gentleman had a son about the same age, to whom Scipio 
was greatly attached. This youth was taken ill, and was 
constantly attended by his anxious parents, who relieved 
each other at proper intervals. One evening, however, 
being greatly exhausted, they both retired to rest, leav- 
ing the patient to the care of a friend who had -volunteered 
her services on the occasion. About two o'clock in the 
morning, he became very restless, and called for some- 



40 



EXODUS XXII. 



thing to drink. The nurse had fallen asleep ; but Scipio 
had calculated upon such an event, and had concealed him- 
self under the bed. On hearing his young master's voice, 
he put out his head, saying, ' Massa George, wat you 
want ? me come arectly.' He arose immediately, but not 
knowing the contents of three or four bottles which were 
on the table, he went and called his mistress, to whom 
he related his adventure. After supplying the wants ot 
her son, she commended the conduct of Scipio, and de- 
sired him to go to bed. But the faithful and affectionate 
youth could not be prevailed on to leave the room, but 
said, 1 Poor massa very tired, poor missey very tired, 
missey go bed ; Scipio no tired, Scipio no sit up last 
night : no go bed now.' Soon afterwards the youth re- 
covered, and his father, in reward of Scipio's fidelity, 
offered him his freedom ; but such was his regard for his 
young master, that he delined the favour, and remained 
in the family, beloved and respected by all who knew 
him. 

xxii. 5. — If a man shall cause a field or vineyard 
to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed 
in another man's field ; of the best of his own field, 
and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make res- 
titution. 

In the last war in Germany, a captain of cavalry was 
out on a foraging party. On perceiving a cottage in the 
midst of a solitary valley, he went up and knocked at the 
door. Out came a Hernouten (better known by the 
name of United Brethren), with a beard silvered by age. 
' Father,' says the officer, ' show me a field where I can 
set my troopers a-foraging,' ' Presently,' replied the 
Hernouten. The good old man walked before, and con- 
ducted them out of the valley. After a quarter of an 
hour's march, they found a fine field of barley. ' There 
is the very thing we want,' says the captain. i Have pa- 
tience for a few minutes,' replied his guide, i you shall be 
satisfied.' They went on, and at a distance of about a 
quarter of a league farther, they at length reached an- 
other field of barley. The troop immediately dismounted, 
cut down the grain, trussed it up, and remounted. The 
officer, upon this, said to his conductor, ' Father, you have 
given yourself and us unnecessary trouble — the first field 
was much better than this.' 4 Very true, Sir,' replied the 



EXODUS XXIV, 



good old man, 'but it was not mine.' This stroke goes 
directly to the heart. I defy an atheist to produce any- 
thing to be compared to this. And surely he who does 
not feel his heart warmed by such an example of exalted 
virtue, has not yet acquired the first principles of moral 
taste. 

xxiii. 12. — On the seventh day thoa shalt rest ; that 
thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy 
handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed. 

The late Sir Edward W s, who resided near the city 

of Bristol, was in the habit of driving his carriage and 
four, with a corresponding retinue, about the neighbour- 
hood every Sabbath day. During one of these ungodly 
excursions, he observed at a distance a group of people 
listening to a discourse of the late excellent Mr James 
Bundy. The baronet ordered his coachman to drive for- 
ward to the crowd to see what was going on. He then 
sat in his open carriage, and listened with attention to 
Mr. B., who, with his wonted zeal and fidelity, embraced 
the opportunity of expatiating on the impropriety of mis- 
employing the Lord's day, and of causing our servants and 
cattle to do the like. The appeal had the desired effect ; 
Sir Edward immediately ordered his servants to return 
home. Shortly after, calling them into his parlour, he 
informed them, that for the future he should never take 
his ride of pleasure on the Lord's day ; that they should 
always have it for their own religious benefit, and which, 
lie hoped, they would zealously improve, by attending 
some place of public worship. He then sent for Mr 
Bundy, and expressed his obligations to him for his 
faithfulness, and maintained a friendship with him during 
life. 

xxiv. 7. — All that the Lord hath said will we do, and 
be obedient. 

' About eighteen months ago,' says a correspondent in 
the Christian Herald, £ a person called on me, applying 
for fellowship with our church. His knowledge and 
conduct, for a considerable time before, had indicated 
that he was a believer of the Gospel. I asked him what 
induced him to apply now. He told me that he had been 
led to this by his lately having had a dream, of which he 
gave me the following relation : — Being from home on 



42 



EXODUS XXVI. 



business, and lodging in an inn at L , he, during the 

night, dreamed that he died ; that the coffin was pro- 
vided for his body, and a number of people were standing 
round it. He {i.e. the disembodied spirit), with the ut- 
most confidence, addressed them in these words — " You 
shall now see me ascend into heaven ! " He ascended so 
far, when he felt he could go no farther; but, to his great 
disappointment, was forced downward to the ground, 
while a voice addressed him in these words — You have 
obeyed but in part. He awoke in great agitation and dis- 
tress. He considered his ,faith and the profession of it, 
in connection with his notorious neglect of the commands 
of the Lord Jesus, and could give himself no rest without 
endeavouriug to obey all the will of the Lord.' 

xxv. 2. — Of every man that giveth it willingly with 
his heart ye shall take my offering. 

Two ministers collecting for the London Missionary 
Society in Yorkshire, had twenty guineas brought to them 
by a man in low circumstances of life. Doubting whether 
it was consistent with his duty to his family and the 
world to contribute such a sum, they hesitated to receive 
it, when he answered to the following effect : — ' Before I 
knew the grace of our Lord, I was a poor drunkard ; I 
never could save a shilling ; my family were in beggary 
and rags : but since it has pleased God to renew me by 
His grace, we have been industrious and frugal ; we have 
not spent many idle shillings, and we have been enabled 
to put something into the bank, and this I freely offer 
to the blessed cause of our Lord and Saviour.' — This was 
the second donation from the individual to the same 
amount. 

xxvi. 30. — Thou shalt rear up the tabernacle accord- 
ing to the fashion thereof which was showed thee in the 
mount. 

When Luther, at the diet of Worms, was urged by 
Eckius, the Pope's legate, to recant, he replied, ' I be- 
seech you, give me leave to maintain the peace of my own 
conscience, which, if I should consent to you, I cannot 
do. For unless my adversaries can convince me by sound 
arguments taken out of the Holy Scriptures, I cannot 
satisfy my conscience. For I can plainly prove, that both 



EXODUS XXIX. 



43 



Popes and Councils have often erred grievously ; and there- 
fore it would be an ungodly thing for me to assent to 
them, and to depart from the Holy Scriptures, which are 
plain, and alone cannot err/ 

xxvii. 1, 2. — Thou shalt make an altar of shittim- 
wood ; and thou shalt overlay it with brass. 

4 This brazen altar,' says Mr Henry, ' was a type of 
Christ dying to make atonement for our sins. The wood 
had been consumed by the fire from heaven, if it had not 
been secured by the brass ; nor could the human nature 
of Christ have borne the wrath of God, if it had not been 
supported by a divine power. Christ sanctified Himself 
for His Church, as their altar, John xvii. 19, and by His 
mediation sanctifies the daily services of His people, who 
also have a right to eat of this altar, Heb. xiii. 10, for they 
serve at it as spiritual priests. To the horns of this altar 
poor sinners fly for refuge when justice pursues them, 
and there they are safe in virtue of the sacrifice there 
offered.' 

xxviii. 38. — And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, 
that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, 
which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy 
gifts ; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that 
they may be accepted before the Lord. 

4 My confidence is,' said the pious Dr Doddridge shortly 
before his death, ' not that I have lived such or such a 
life, or served God in this or the other manner ; I know 
of no prayer I ever offered, no service I ever performed, 
but there has been such a mixture of what was wrong in 
it, that instead of recommending me to the favour of God, 
I needed His pardon, through Christ, for the same. Yet I 
am full of confidence ; and this is my confidence — there 
is a hope set before me : I have fled, I still fly, for refuge 
to that hope.' 

xxix. 9. — The priest's office shall be theirs. 

A pious lady being at one time among a party of gen- 
tlemen, by whom the worldly circumstances of ministers 
were made the topic of conversation, remarks were thrown 
out, of which she could not approve. For a considerable 
while she said nothing, but at last, opening her mouth 
with a dignified air, and a decided tone, she put them all 



44 



EXODUS XXXII. 



to silence with these words, 'Well, you may say what 
you please concerning the situation of ministers, but let 
me tell you, that a minister of the Gospel holds a more 
honourable office than a minister of State' 

xxx. 12. — They shall give every man a ransom for 
his soul. 

An American missionary states, that during almost 
seven years that he resided in Malta, he was witness every 
Monday morning to an affecting and admonitory scene. 
A man passed through the streets, ringing a bell in one 
hand, and rattling a box in the other, crying at every 
corner, 4 What will you give for the souls ? What will 
you give for the souls V The women and children came 
out of the habitations of poverty, and cast their mites 
into the box. When it was full, it was carried to a neigh- 
bouring convent, to pay the priests for praying the souls 
of the dead out of purgatory ! Let Protestants be exhorted 
to * give money for souls' in a far different manner, by 
assisting Christian missions, and the circulation of the 
Word of God. 

xxxi. 13. — Speak thou also unto the children of 
Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep. 

The Rev. J. S. Smith, in his boyish days, used means 
to reform his companions from a gross profanation of the 
Sabbath. Of his zeal in this respect, the following is a 
pleasing instance. It was a common practice in the 
neighbourhood where he dwelt, for boys to go out into 
the fields on the Lord's day to play at foot-ball. Viewing 
this practice as a great evil, he resolved, if possible, to 
put a stop to it. To accomplish this purpose, he called 
several of them together, expostulated with them on the 
impropriety of their conduct, urged them to renounce it 
for ever, and advised them to attend some place of wor- 
ship on the sacred day. This was his first attempt to 
reform the manners of others, and it succeeded beyond 
his expectations. 

xxxii. 6. — And the people sat down to eat and to 
drink, and rose up to play. 

4 The Chinese,' says the Rev. Samuel Dyer, 1 you know, 
are very polished idolaters. A few evenings since, there 
was special worship performing in their temple ; and, 



EXODUS XXXIV. 



45 



while the worship was proceeding, I was engaged in the 
temple distributing tracts. A priest saw me and laughed 
very contemptuously at me. One poor man entered the 
temple with a small bundle, and standing at the table in 
front of the idol, he began to open his bundle, talking 
with any one near him, with the utmost indifference to 
the service which was going forward ; so little solemnity 
accompanies their worship. When the bundle was opened, 
a paper, containing sweetmeats, was first presented to the 
idol ; then the gold paper was prepared for burning ; and 
when all was ready, the man worshipped : then tried his 
fortune : afterwards burnt his paper money (for the use of 
the dead), and let off crackers. He then folded up his 
present of sweetmeats, took them away, and became, I 
suppose, a spectator of the play, opposite the temple 
gate. These plays are performed by the Chinese, for 
their gods to see ; and they always bring a concourse of 
people to the temple.' 

xxxiii. 20. — Thou canst not see my face ; for there 
shall no man see me, and live. 

' You teach,' said the Emperor Trajan to Rabbi Joshua, 
' that your God is everywhere, and boast that He resides 
among your nation ; I should like to see Him.' i God's 
presence is, indeed, everywhere,' replied Joshua, 1 but He 
cannot be seen : no mortal eye can behold His glory.' 
The Emperor insisted. ' Well,' said Joshua, 1 suppose 
we try to look first at one of His ambassadors ?' The 
Emperor consented. The Rabbi took him into the open 
air at noon-day, and bade him look on the sun in its me- 
ridian splendour. 1 1 cannot,' said Trajan, 4 the light 
dazzles me.' 4 Thou art unable,' said Joshua, 4 to endure 
the light of one of His creatures, and canst thou expect 
to behold the resplendent glory of the Creator ? Would 
not such a light annihilate thee V 

xxxiv. 21. — The seventh day thou shalt rest: in 
earing-time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 

One Sabbath, a few children were gathered round the 
porch of a village church, waiting for the commencement 
of public worship, when a waggon, with a number of per- 
sons in it who were going out on pleasure, stopped, and 
one of the men called out to the children, ' Halloo there, 
what sort of a religion do you have there ?' One of the 



46 



EXODUS XXXVI. 



young lads replied, 'A sort of religion that forbids our 
travelling on the Sabbath.' 

xxxv. 22. — And they came, both men and women, as 
many as were willing-hearted, and brought bracelets, 
and ear-rings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: 
and every man that offered, offered an offering of gold 
unto the Lord. 

On Tuesday, the 27th September 1836, the Rev. Dr 
Chalmers preached a sermon in St George's Church, at 
which a collection was made for the Dean Church in 
Edinburgh. The collection amounted to £S5. There 
was also given in to the collection a casket containing a 
bracelet and ear-rings set in pearls, accompanied with 
the following from Exodus xxxv. 22, 1 And they came, 
both men and women, as many as were willixg-- 
heakted. and brought bracelets, and ear-rings, and rings, 
and tablets, all jewels of gold : and every man that offered, 
offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.' 

xxxvi. 5. — The people bring much more than enough 
for the service of the work which the Lord commanded 
to make. 

It is pleasing to observe the willingness with which 
many, even of the poorer classes of society, contribute to 
Bible and Missionary Societies. A minister in the 
country, who had formed a penny-a-week society in his 
congregation, gives the following account : — ' I am happy 
to inform you, that my success has far exceeded my ex- 
pectations. If our subscriptions continue, the annual 
amount will be considerable. One hundred subscribers 
were obtained the first day. The account which the col- 
lectors give of their reception among the poor is really 
affecting ; they found some of them standing at the doors 
of their humble abodes, with their pence in their hands, 
and others, w-hom they had passed by. followed them with 
their money, saying to the collectors, " Pray, do not 
neglect us because we are poor." A lady in one district 
called on a poor widow, merely to prevent her feelings 
from being hurt, and told her that, owing to her poverty, 
she did not expect anything from her. "0," replied the 
poor widow, "I cannot, poor as I am, refuse giving a 
penny a week towards promoting the cause of that Re- 



EXODUS XXXVIII. 



47 



deemer who has given me the hope of heaven." This poor 
widow has entirely to support five fatherless children ; 
and yet she, of her penury, thus cast into the missionary 
treasury. Indeed, from this and many other pleasing 
occurrences, it is evident that the poor consider them- 
selves favoured by being thus called upon. The col- 
lectors declare that they could not have been better re- 
ceived had they gone to distribute money, instead of 
receiving it.' 

xxxvii. 25. — He made the incense-altar. 

The incense to be burnt daily on the altar, has been 
justly considered as significant of the intercession of 
Christ, and the prayers of His people. Hence the Psal- 
mist says, ; Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as 
incense.' 

Of Mr Thomas Hooker, of New England, his biogra- 
pher says, 1 He was a man of prayer ; which, indeed, was 
a ready way to become a man of God. He would say, 
"that prayer was the principal part of a minister's work : 
it was by this that he was to carry on the rest." Accord- 
ingly, he devoted one day in a month to prayer, with fast- 
ing, before the Lord, besides the public fasts, which often 
occurred. He would say, " that such extraordinary fa- 
vours as the life of religion, and the power of godliness, 
must be preserved by the frequent use of such extraordi- 
nary means as prayer, with fasting ; and that, if professors 
grew negligent of these means, iniquity would abound, 
and the love of many wax cold." ' 

xxxviii. 8. — He made the laver of brass, and the 
foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women 
assembling, which assembled at the door of the taber- 
nacle of the congregation. 

' A gentleman,' says Mr Knill, missionary at Peters- 
burg, 'resident on the shores of the Caspian, who once 
cared nothing about Christ or His cause, has, within a few 
years, become a warm-hearted disciple. Knowing his 
character, I wrote to him to assist me in the distribution 
of the Holy Scriptures. To my request he joyfully agreed ; 
but he did not think it sufficient to contribute towards 
it himself, but he tried to enlist others also in the good 
work. He mentioned it in particular to a pious lady of 



48 



EXODUS XL. 



his acquaintance, who had just before received a present 
of a hundred roubles, to purchase a pair of ear-rings. 
Fired with the hope of promoting the eternal happiness 
of her fellow-creatures, she determined to sacrifice her 
ear-rings to the cause of God, and sent the hundred 
roubles to me. Perhaps this was the first time that ever 
her attachment to the Saviour had called for a sacrifice ; 
and it must be unspeakably gratifying to her mind, when 
reviewing the transaction, to feel that she could part with 
her ornaments for her adorable Redeemer. 

xxxix. 30. — Holiness to the Lord. 

4 It is plain,' says an eminent divine, 4 from experi- 
mental observation of the longest standing, and the 
greatest compass, that genuine morality is eminently pro- 
moted by preaching up the purity of the Gospel. The 
hope that is laid up for us in heaven, whereof we hear 
by the word of truth, brings forth fruit in us : " He that 
has this hope in him, purifies himself, even as God is 
pure." — One of the martyrs in Queen Mary's days con- 
fessed that his prejudice against the Protestants was for 
their insisting so much on faith, and things of a myste- 
rious nature. " But," says he, " when among the Papists, 
I heard nothing but works, I scarce did any : now, where 
duties are preached less, I find them practised more." ' 

xl. 36, 37. — When the cloud was taken up from over 
the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in 
all their journeys : But if the cloud were not taken 
up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was 
taken up. 

' Nothing was more remarkable,' says the biographer of 
Mr Newton, 4 than his constant habit of regarding the 
hand of God in every event, however trivial it might ap- 
pear to others. On every occasion — in the concerns of 
every hour — in matters public or private, like Enoch, he 
44 walked with God." Take a single instance of his state 
of mind in this respect. In walking to his church he 
would say, 44 The way of man is not in himself, nor can 
he conceive what belongs to a single step. When I go to 
St Mary Woolnoth, it seems the same whether I turn 
down Lothbury, oi go through the Old Jewry ; but the 
going through one street, and not another, may produce 



LEVITICDS II. 



49 



an effect of lasting consequence. A man cut down my 
hammock in sport ; but had he cut it down half an hour 
later, I had not been here, as the exchange of crew was 
then making. A man made a smoke on the sea-shore, 
at the time a ship passed, which was thereby brought to, 
and afterwards brought me to England." * 



LEYITICUS. 

Chap. i. ver. 3. — He shall offer it of his own volun- 
tary will. 

When a Missionary Association was first established in 
Huahine, one of the South Sea Islands, and contribu- 
tions were solicited, the people were explicitly informed, 
that they should not be compelled to give anything; 
whatever they did, therefore, must be of their own free 
will. One day a native brought a hog to Hautia, who 
was the treasurer, and throwing down the animal at 
his feet, said, in an angry tone, 'Here's a pig for 
your Society/ 'Take it back again,' replied Hautia 
calmly; 'God does not accept angry pigs. 9 He then 
explained to the man the objects of missionary insti- 
tutions, and the necessity of those who supported them 
doing so from right motives, especially enforcing the 
Scripture words, ' The Lord loveth a cheerful giver.' The 
man was obliged to take his hog home again ; for though 
exceedingly chagrined to have it rejected — refusal being 
considered a great affront when a present is offered — 
Hautia was too conscientious to accept it. 

ii. 14. — Thou shalt offer for the meat offering of 
thy first-fruits, green ears of corn dried by the fire. 

The requiring of green ears of corn in the meat-offer- 
ing, may intimate how acceptable to God early piety is. 
The following is a pleasing instance : 

In the beginning of the last century, Mr Hamilton was 
successively minister of Airth and Stirling. His minis- 
try was distinguished for its warmth and evangelical 
savour; it was, of course, very acceptable, and much 
attended. At that time, the dispensation of the Lord's 
Supper was attended by multitudes from the neighbour- 
hood. On one of these occasions, at Airth, a young per- 

D 



50 



LEVITICUS IV. 



son, at a considerable distance, felt a strong desire to 
attend. This, however, was opposed by her elder sister, 
on account of her tender age, and inability to sustain the 
fatigues of such a journey; but, still bent on the execu- 
tion of her purpose, she so arranged matters on the pre- 
ceding evening, that her sister could not, even at the 
earliest hour, go away without awakening her. Finding 
the determination so strong, her sister no longer opposed 
it. On the Sabbath morning, she took her young friend 
to the place of worship. After the celebration of the 
Lord's Supper, Mr Hamilton addressed the communicants 
and audience. In the conclusion, he invited sinners, with 
great fervour and freedom, to the Lord Jesus Christ. The 
riches of Divine grace, in the salvation of perishing sin 
ners, were exhibited in the most alluring and engaging 
manner. The attention of this young person was ex- 
cited, and her heart sweetly drawn to the Saviour. This 
gracious season was remembered and mentioned by her 
with pleasure to the end of her life ; and her descendants, 
to whom her pious example and instructions were ren- 
dered useful, still preserve the memory and record of it 
with a delightful interest. This should encourage parents 
to bring their children, at an early age, to attend the 
ordinances of Divine grace in public. 

iii. 9. — The fat thereof, and the whole rump, it shall 
he take off hard by the backbone. 

There is a kind of sheep near Aleppo, the tails of which 
are very broad and large, terminating in a small appendix 
that turns back upon it. These tails, Dr Russell informs 
us, are of a substance between fat and marrow, and are 
not eaten separately, but mixed with the lean meat in 
many of their dishes, and also often used instead of but- 
ter : That a common sheep of this kind, without the 
head, feet, skin, etc., weighs sixty or seventy English 
pounds, of which the tail usually weighs fifteen pounds 
and upwards. This species, he observes, is by much the 
most numerous. 

iv. 2. — If a soul shall sin through ignorance against 
any of the commandments of the Lord. 

A Hebrew merchant had three negroes, very bad cha- 
racters, who frequently got drunk and robbed him. Ob- 
serving a sudden change in their conduct, he inquired 



LEVITICUS VI. 



51 



into the cause. One of the poor fellows replied, ' Massa, 
God Almighty in top ! ' (above.) He was answered, 
4 Was not God Almighty in top when you got drunk and 
robbed me? ' 'Yes, Massa, but we not know then.' He 
then asked them how they came to know. They answered, 
' Massa, we been gone a chapel and preacher tell we so ; 
and now we fraid to get drunk and rob like fore time. 
God will see, and He will be angry ; Him see ebery thing.' 

v. 1. — If a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, 
and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it ; 
if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity. 

As the sin referred to in the preceding verse appears to 
consist in a concealment of the truth, especially when 
called on oath to declare it, the following anecdote may, 
in part at least, illustrate the passage : — 

Captain (afterwards Admiral) Cornwallis, in order to 
prevent profaneness among the ship's crew, had a book 
to every mess to insert each offender's name, and ap- 
pointed forfeits according to the offence. To these rules 
the captain made himself liable ; and, looking over the 
books one morning when at sea, he found his own name 
inserted, upon which he sent for the informer, and in- 
quired what he had said, and who was near when he 
used improper language. Being told that the chap- 
lain was at his elbow, he called for the reverend gentle- 
man, and asked him if he recollected hearing him say on 
the preceding day, 'By God.' He confessed this, but 
did not think it came within the meaning of the rules. 
The captain observed, ' It was certainly an irreverent use 
of the sacred name, and you should have reproved me ; 
you, therefore, shall be punished for neglect, and the in- 
former shall be rewarded with a guinea.' 

vi. 4. — He shall restore — the lost thing which he 
found. 

Some years ago, a poor shoemaker found, in a street 
in Liverpool, a bill of exchange for £110. On being 
informed of its value, with an honest simplicity, he bad it 
cried through the streets by the bellman. Several appli- 
cations were scon made to him for the bill ; but from the 
evident eagerness of the applicants, and the large sums 
offered him as a reward, he suspected that the bill could 



52 



LEVITICUS IX. 



not be theirs. He accordingly took it to a respectable 
banker's, where it bad been drawn, who presently disco- 
vered the right owner, and rewarded the shoemaker with 
five gnineas for his honesty. The poor man received it 
with gratitude, declaring that this sum would do him more 
good, now that he was assured the bill would go to the 
true owner, than if he had given it to others and re- 
ceived a larger sum. 

vii. 12. — If he offer it for a thanksgiving. 

Mr Romaine being in company with Mr Hervey, who 
was unwell, at breakfast time, observed him to retire 
to another part of the room, taking with him a small 
basin of milk, and overheard him praying over it thus : 
1 Lord, if I obtain no nourishment from this food which 
Thou hast given me, at least let me get thankfulness 
from it.' 

viii. 9. — He put the mitre upon his head 

In the reign of King Edward VI., when Mr John 
Hooper was made bishop, there was much controversy 
between him and Drs Cranmer and Ridley, about the 
cap and rochet, etc. When, however, they were all im- 
prisoned in Queen Mary's reign, Dr Ridley wrote to 
Hooper in the following manner: — 'My dear brother, for- 
asmuch as I understand by your works that we thoroughly 
agree in those things which are the grounds and substan- 
tial points of our religion, against which the world so 
furiously rageth in these days ; however, formerly, in 
certain bye-matters and circumstances of religion, your 
wisdom and my simplicity have a little jarred, each of us 
following the abundance of his own sense and judgment ; 
now, I say, be assured, that even with my whole heart 
(God is my witness) in the bowels of Christ, I love you 
in the truth, and for the truth's sake, which abideth in us, 
and shall, by the grace of God, abide for ever.' 

ix. 12. — He slew the burnt-offering: and Aaron's 
sons presented unto him the blood, which he sprinkled 
round about upon the altar. 

Des Barreaux, a foreigner of eminent station, had been 
a great profligate, and afterwards became a great peni- 
tent. He composed a piece of poetry after his conver- 



LEVITICUS XI. 



53 



sion, the leading sentiment of which was to the following 
effect : — 1 Great God. Thy judgments are full of righteous- 
ness. Thou takest pleasure in the exercise of mercy ; but I 
have sinned to such a height, that justice demands my 
destruction, and mercy itself seems to solicit my perdi- 
tion. Disdain my tears, strike the blow, and execute Thy 
judgment. I am willing to submit and adore, even in 
perishing, the equity of Thy procedure. But on what place 
will the stroke fall that is not covered with the blood of 
Christ ? ' 

x. 9. — Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor 
thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of 
the congregation, lest ye die ; it shall be a statute for 
ever throughout your generations. 

A gentleman travelling in Essex, called at the house of 
a friend, where he met with a young minister who was 
just going to preach in the neighbourhood. The lady of 
the house offered him a glass of spirits before he entered 
upon his work, which he accepted. An elderly man. who 
was present, thus addressed him : — ; My young friend, 
let me offer you a word of advice respecting the use of 
liquors. There was a time when I was as acceptable a 
preacher as you now may be : but, by too frequently ac- 
cepting of the well-designed favours of my friends, I 
contracted a habit of drinking, so that now I never go to 
bed sober if I can get liquor, I am. indeed, just as 
miserable as a creature can be on this side of hell V 
About two years after this, the traveller just mentioned 
had occasion to call again at the same house, and made 
inquiry concerning the unhappy man, when he was in- 
formed that he had been some time dead ; and, no doubt, 
in consequence of his intemperance. It was stated that, 
towards the close of his life, he had not drunk to the same 
excess, but it was only because he could not obtain 
spirituous liquors. 

xi. 9. — Whatsoever hath fins and scales in the 
waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye 
eat. 

Mr Turner, in his ' History of Providence,' relates, that 
when the people of a certain sea-port town (Hastings) in 
England were in great poverty, and suffered much by 
scarcity of money and provisions, it pleased God that an 



54 



LEVITICUS XIY. 



unusual and great shoal of herrings came up the river, by 
which the inhabitants were plentifully supplied for the 
present ; and the week after, a multitude of cod succeeded 
them, which were supposed to have driven the former 
into the river before them ; by which means the necessi- 
ties of the poor inhabitants were unexpectedly and re- 
markably supplied. 

xii. 8. — If she be not able to bring a lamb, then she 
shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons. 

Dr Chandler, in his 'Travels in Asia Minor,' informs 
us, that on their arrival at the town of Guzel-Hissar, they 
were surprised to see around them innumerable tame 
turtle-doves, sitting on the branches of the trees, on the 
walls and roofs of houses, cooing unceasingly. Though 
these creatures migrate in winter, the Jewish worshippers 
might be supplied with offerings, at any season of the 
year, from the tame ones they bred up. 

xiii. 46. — All the days wherein the plague shall be 
in him he shall be defiled ; he is unclean : he shall 
dwell alone ; without the camp shall his habitation be. 

While the law of Moses only required the exclusion of 
the leper from the camp or town where he formerly re- 
sided, the following account of the treatment of one of 
these unhappy men shows that the dark places of the 
earth are full of cruelty : — ; A Hindoo, of the writer caste,' 
says one of the Baptist Missionaries in India, ' who has 
been in our employment upwards of two years, and of 
whose veracity I have had proof in many instances, in- 
formed me yesterday, that on the 5th or 6th instant, he 
saw a Hindoo carpenter drowned because he had the 
leprosy. He was carried from one of the ghauts at Alum- 
gunj in a boat, in the presence of a large assembly of 
people, and when in deep water put overboard. Two 
large earthen pots, one filled with sand, the other with 
barley, were fastened to his shoulders. The man sank, 
but after some time floated on the surface of the water. 
The people in the boat rowed after him, and took him up, 
but made sure work of it the second time! 9 

xiv. 22.— Two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, 
such as he is able to get. 

Mr Richmond, during his visit to Iona, frequently 



LEVITICUS XVII. 



55 



preached in the school-house. On one of these occasions, 
he adverted to the Jewish Missions. The hum of the 
children was heard, ' We will give, we will give !' Some 
persons present attempted to check their zeal, and keep 
silence, but all voices were raised in reply, 4 The bairns 
will have it, the bairns will have it !' meaning, the chil- 
dren would make a collection ; and they presented to him 
the sum of £2, Os. 9d., — a magnificent offering to Him 
whose grace had touched their hearts and inspired their 
zeal. Of these poor islanders it might be truly said, 
'Their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of th&*.? 
liberality.' 

xv. 12. — And the vessel of earth that he toucheth 
which hath the issue shall be broken : and every vessel 
of wood shall be rinsed in water. 

Dr Clark was one evening entertained very kindly by 
a Turk and his family. After leaving the place, the next 
morning he returned for a book he had left behind, when 
he found his kind host and all the family employed in 
breaking and throwing away the earthenware, plates, and 
dishes, from which his guests had eaten, and purifying 
the other utensils and articles of furniture, by passing 
them through fire or water. 

xvi. 22. — And the goat shall bear upon him all their 
iniquities unto a land not inhabited : and he shall let 
go the goat in the wilderness. 

The Aswamedha Jug is an ancient rite, in which a 
horse was brought and sacrificed, with some ceremonies 
very similar to those prescribed in the Mosaic law. The 
horse so sacrificed, bears, in place of the sacrificer, his sins 
with him into the wilderness, into which he is turned 
adrift (for, from this particular instance, it seems that 
the sacrificing-knife was not always employed), and be- 
comes the expiatory victim of those sins. Mr Halhed 
observes, that this ceremony reminds us of the scape-goat 
of the Israelites ; and, indeed, it is not the only one in 
which a particular coincidence between the Hindoo and 
Mosaic systems of theology may be traced. 

xvii. 11. — It is the blood that maketh an atonement 
for the soul. 

The first sermon which the late Rev. Robert Hall 



56 



LETITICUS XIX. 



preached at Cambridge, after he became a settled pastor, 
was in confirmation of the atonement. Immediately 
after the sen-ice, one of the congregation, who had fol- 
lowed Mr Robinson through all his changes of sentiment 
until he was hovering over the very undefinable barrier 
which separates the colder Socinianism from infidelity, 
went into the vestry, and said, ' Mr Hall, this preaching 
won't do for us ; it will only suit a congregation of old 
women !' 'Do you mean my sermon, Sir, or the doctrine f 
' Your doctrine.' ' Why is it that the doctrine will only do 
for old women f 4 Because it may suit the musings of 
people tottering on the brink of the grave.' ' Thank you, 
Sir,' said Mr Hall, ' for concessions. The doctrine will 
not suit people of any age if it be not true ; and if it be 
true, it is equally important at every age. So that you 
will hear it again if you hear me.' 

xviii. 21. — Thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass 
through the fire to Molech. 

'An eminent historian,' says Dr Doddridge, i speaking 
of that diabolical custom which so long prevailed amongst 
the old Carthaginians, of offering their children to a detest- 
able idol (which was formed in such a manner, that an 
infant put into its hands, which were stretched out to 
receive it, would immediately fall into a gulph of fire), adds 
a circumstance, which one cannot mention without hor- 
ror : — The mothers, who, with their own hands, presented 
the little innocents, thought it an unfortunate omen that 
the victim should be offered weeping; and, therefore, 
used a great many fond artifices to divert it, that, soothed 
by the kisses and caresses of a parent, it might smile in that 
dreadful moment in which it was to be given up to the 
idol. Pardon me, my friends ; such is your concern for 
the present ease and prosperity of your children, while their 
souls are neglected. — a fond solicitude that they may pass 
smiling into the hands of the destroyer.' 

xix. 16. — Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale- 
bearer among thy people. 

At a small town in shire lives a decent honest 

woman, who has for more than forty years gained her 
livelihood by washing in gentlemen's families. She gives 
the highest satisfaction to all her employers, and has, in 
several instances, been the whole of that time in the em- 



LEVITICUS XXI. 



57 



ploy of the same families. Indeed, those whom she has 
once served never wish to part with her. She has one 
distinguishing excellency: it is this — through all this long 
course of years, she has never been known, by either mistress 
or servant, to repeat in one house what was said or done in 
another. 

xx. 27. — A man also, or woman, that hath a fa- 
miliar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to 
death. 

' Some time since,' says one, 6 I was on a visit in "Wilt- 
shire, and a large parcel of tracts had been recently re- 
ceived by the worthy family, which they were sorting for 
distribution amongst the Sunday-school children. Whilst 
I was looking over the tracts, I cast my eyes upon one 
that related to fortune-telling ; at that moment, the ser- 
vant entered the parlour, and announced that a woman 
was at the door, and desired to know if any of the 
party would have their fortune told. I instantly ran out 
and accosted the woman, " So you can tell fortunes ! " 
" Yes, Sir." " And can you tell mine ? " " Yes." " Ah ! 
I do not wish to have my fortune told, for I am a fortune- 
teller too." She looked extremely confused, and faintly 
replied, — " Indeed, Sir ! " " Yes, and I will tell you your 
fortune ; it is, that if you continue in your present course 
of wickedness and deception, neglecting God's salvation, 
and disregarding the eternal state of your soul, you will 
be lost for ever and ever ! Let me exhort you to leave 
off your present sinful course, and pray to God to turn 
your heart. Are you not ashamed to go about the coun- 
try, and thus impose upon servants and young people ? 
There," said I, putting some of the fortune-tellers tracts 
into her hand, "go and read these carefully, and sell them 
instead of the wretched trash you have already, they will 
procure you a trifle, and be sure to attend to what has 
been said to you on the subject." The woman appeared 
affected with the advice, and, after expressing her thanks, 
curtseyed, and went away.' 

xxi. 5. — They shall not make — any cuttings in their 
flesh. 

4 A few months ago,' says Mr George, a missionary in 
Ceylon, 1 1 witnessed a strange and degrading scene. A 
fine young man, apparently about twenty-five years of 



58 



LEVITICUS XXII. 



age, being prompted by a chimerical imagination, and the 
false insinuations of the priests, resolved to render propi- 
tious the goddess Ammen, and thereby obtain great ad- 
vantages. With these hopes, he submitted to a most tor- 
turing ceremony, as the goddess to be honoured is sup- 
posed to be of a sanguinary temper. She is said to have 
murdered her own child, and to have drunk its blood. To 
please this demon, he first discoloured his own body with 
paints and saffron, so as to look terrible ; and having par- 
taken plentifully of narcotics, he proceeded to walk round 
the temple upon slippers studded with nails, which pierced 
his bare feet ; after which he was supported while he 
stood on one foot on the point of a pole about six feet 
high, called calloo. After this, an iron hook, at least five 
inches long, with two prongs, more than an inch in cir- 
cumference, was thrust through the skin and muscles of 
his back, and a rope, about forty yards in length, was 
attached to the ring of the hook. This was held by two 
men, to prevent the wretched man from destroying him- 
self or others ; for, if he were to get loose, they said he 
would run into the fire or water, or commit murder, or 
whatever the spirit of the goddess, by which he was in- 
spired, might prompt him to do ; at least so they believed. 
In this way the infatuated man was led round the neigh- 
bourhood. The applause of the multitude, — the impulse 
of his own deluded mind, — the stimulating effect of the 
narcotics, — and the excruciating pain he endured from the 
hook, made him quite frantic ; so that he would frequently, 
with almost inconceivable agility, bound forwards the 
length of his rope, and attempt to escape, but was pre- 
vented by the men who held it. His back was thus lace- 
rated by the prongs of the hook, and the blood occa- 
sionally flowing from the wound, and mixing with the 
paints on his body, made him appear, when in his gesti- 
culations, the most demon-like one could possibly ima- 
gine. During the ceremony, he was an object of the 
greatest awe, for the people imagine such a one to be 
possessed of a supernatural influence, and that all whom 
he blesses are blessed, and whom he curses are cursed : 
hence they scrupulously avoid offending him, and, to 
obtain his blessings, are very liberal in their offerings to 
the Brahmins.' 



xxii. 32. — Neither shall ye profane my holy name. 



LEVITICUS XXIV. 



59 



The late Dr GifFord, as he was one day showing the 
British Museum to strangers, was very much vexed by 
the profane conversation of a young gentleman who was 
present. On the Doctor taking an ancient copy of the 
Septuagint, and showing it to him, — ' 0 ! ' said the gentle- 
man, 4 1 can read this.' ' Well,' said the Doctor, 4 read 
that passage,' pointing to the third commandment. Here 
the gentleman was so struck, that he immediately de- 
sisted from swearing. 

xxiii. 3. — Ye shall do no work therein : it is the 
Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. 

When Mr Crook and his family arrived on the coast of 
Otaheite, in the brig Active, they were much surprised 
that not a single native could be seen all along the shore 
as the vessel sailed ; nor could they perceive any smoke 
arising from their dwellings. This excited in the minds of 
Mr Crook and others, a painful suspicion that the island 
had been subdued, and all the inhabitants cut off in the 
wars. In the midst of this agitation of mind, one of the 
sailors, an Otaheitan, who left Port Jackson in the Ac- 
tive, observed that the natives were keeping the Sabbath 
day ; that of late they did no kind of work, nor cooked 
any victuals, nor went out of their houses except to wor- 
ship God ; and that the whole of the day was employed 
in religious worship, or in teaching one another to read. 
At length the vessel came to anchor in Matavia Bay, and 
not a native made his appearance till Monday morning, 
when great numbers repaired to the brig, bringing with 
them the usual testimonies of hospitality ; thus fully 
satisfying all on board, that, as before noticed, they had 
been observing the Sabbath. 

xxiv. 11. — The Israelitish woman's son blasphemed 
the name of the Lord, and cursed. 

One evening, as the Eev. William Wilson of Perth was 
passing along the streets of that town, three soldiers, then 
quartered in it, happened to walk behind him, who were 
indulging in the utterance of most profane and blasphem- 
ous language. One of them, on some frivolous account, 
declared it to be his wish, that God Almighty might damn 
his soul to hell to all eternity. Mr Wilson immediately 
turned round, and, with a look of dignity and compassion, 



60 



LEVITICUS XXV. 



said. 1 Poor man, and what if God should say amen, and 
answer that prayer ! ' Mr Wilson passed on. The man 
seemed to stand petrified, and, on going home to his quar- 
ters, was in such distraction of mind and feeling, that he 
knew not whither to turn for relief. He was soon after- 
wards seized with fever, under which he continued to 
suffer the most awful forebodings of eternal misery. His 
case was so singular, that many Christians went to visit 
him, to whom he invariably said he was sure of being 
beyond the reach of mercy, and that God had sent His 
angel to tell him so. One of them asked him to describe 
the appearance of the person who had pronounced this 
doom on him. He did so, and the visitant at once per- 
ceiving that it must have been Mr Wilson, inquired if he 
would wish again to see him. 1 Oh,' said he, 1 1 would 
wish above everything to see him, but he will not come 
near a wretch like me.' Mr Wilson was soon brought, 
and told him of the way of salvation through Christ cru- 
cified, and encouraged him to flee for refuge to lay hold upon 
the hope set before him. His words being accompanied by 
Divine power, the poor soldier was enabled to believe in 
Christ, and thus found peace and comfort to his troubled 
soul. He soon afterwards recovered, and became a very 
exemplary Christian ; and, as he felt the army unfavour- 
able to a religious life, Mr W., at his request, used influ- 
ence, and procured his discharge. He settled in Perth, 
oecame a member of the Church, attached himself steadily 
to Mr Wilson, and was through life a comfort to him, and 
an ornament to the Christian profession. 

xxv. 35. — And if thy brother be waxen poor, and 
fallen in decay with thee, then thou shalt relieve him ; 
yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner, that he 
may live with thee. 

Mr H , an ingenious artist, being driven out of all 

employment, and reduced to great distress, had no re- 
source to which to apply except that of an elder brother, 
who was in good circumstances. To him, therefore, he 
applied, and begged some little hovel to live in, and some 
small provision for his support. The brother melted into 
tears, and said, ' You, my dear brother ! you live in a 
hovel ! You are a man : you are an honour to the fa- 
mily. I am nothing. You shall take this house and the 



LEVITICUS XXVI r. 



estate, and I will be your guest, if you please.' The 
brothers lived together without its being distinguishable 
who was the proprietor of the estate, till the death of 
the elder put the artist in possession of it. 

xxvi. 36. — I will send a faintness into their hearts 
in the lands of their enemies ; and the sound of a 
shaken leaf shall chase them ; and they shall flee as 
fleeing from a sword ; and they shall fall when none 
pursueth. 

A passenger and a lieutenant were passing the New 
York Mariners' Church together, when the former ob- 
served, ' That place will be the ruin of sailors.' The 
lieutenant asked him why. The passenger replied, ' By 
stuffing their heads with religion, and making them unlit 
for the duties they are called to, especially in fighting 
the enemy.' The lieutenant asked him if he thought that 
religion made a man less industrious or less brave. The 
passenger assented to that opinion. The lieutenant, who 
was about forty-seven years of age, then said, ' that he 
had been the greater part of his life at sea, and had been 
in many engagements ; that he had never seen the re- 
ligious man shrink from his duty, or be a coward ; and 
that the reason was obvious, for, when he goes into an 
engagement, he has but one enemy to engage with, whilst 
the irreligious man has two ; he has to contend with one 
within as well as one without? The passenger ingenuously 
acknowledged, that the enemy within was certainly the 
worse of the two, and that the lieutenant had the best of 
the argument. 

xxvii. 30. — All the tithe of the land, whether of the 
seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the 

I Lord's ; it is holy unto the Lord. 

John Frederic Oberlin, a minister of the Gospel in 
France, happening to read one day, with more attention 
than usual, the accounts of the tithes in the Books of 
Moses, was so struck with some of them, as to resolve 
from that moment to devote three tithes of all he pos- 
sessed to the service of God and the poor. The reso- 
lution was no sooner made than put into execution, for 
whatever Oberlin conceived it to be his duty to do, he 
conscientiously and without delay set about it. From 



62 



NUMBERS II. 



that period till the end of his life, even during the most 
calamitous seasons of the Revolution, he always scru- 
pulously adhered to the plan, and often said that he 
abounded in wealth. 



NUMBERS. 

Chap. i. ver. 3. — All that are able to go forth to war 
in Israel. 

4 At Brussels,' says Simpson, in his ' Visit to Flanders/ 
' and wherever I went in the Netherlands, when the Eng- 
lish troops were mentioned, whom they likewise much 
admired, the natives always returned to the Scotch 
Highlanders. " They are good and kind, as well as 
brave. They are the only soldiers who become members 
of the family in houses where they are billeted ; they 
even carry about the children, and do the domestic work." 
The favourite proverbial form of compliment was, "Lions 
in the field, and lambs in the house." There was a com- 
petition among the inhabitants who should have them in 
their houses ; and when they returned wounded, the 
same house they had left had its doors opened, and the 
family went out some miles to meet our own Scotchmen. 
The people had many instances to relate of the generosity 
of these men ; after the battle, many Highlanders, them- 
selves wounded, were seen binding up the wounds of the 
French, and assisting them with their arm.' 

ii. 2. — Every man of the children of Israel shall 
pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their 
father's house. 

Pitts, an eastern traveller, in his account of his return 
from Mecca, describes those lights by which they travel 
during the night in the desert, and which are carried on 
the tops of poles to direct their march. ' They are some- 
what like iron stoves,' says he, i into which they put that 
dry wood, with which some of the camels are loaded. It 
is carried in great sacks, which have a hole near the 
bottom, where the servants take it out as they see the 
fires need a recruit. Every cotter (or company) has one 
of these poles belonging to it, some of which have ten, 
some twelve of these lights on their tops, or more or less ; 



NUMBERS V. 



03 



and they are likewise of different figures, as well as 
numbers ; one, perhaps oval, like a gate, another tri- 
angular, or like N or M, etc., so that every one knows by 
them his respective cotter. They are carried in the front, 
and set up at some distance from one another, in the 
place where the caravan is to pitch, before that comes up. 
They are also carried by day, not lighted ; but yet, by the 
figure and number of them, the pilgrims are directed to 
what cotter they belong, as soldiers are, by their colours, 
where to rendezvous ; and without such directions, it 
would be impossible to avoid confusion in such a vast 
number of people.' 

iii. 10. — Aaron and his sons — shall wait on their 
priest's office. 

i It is most honourable,' says Dr Willet, ' for a soldier 
to die fighting, and for a bishop or pastor to die pray- 
ing ; and, if my merciful God shall vouchsafe to grant me 
my request, my earnest desire is, that in writing and com- 
menting upon some part of the Scripture I may finish 
my days.' This request was granted him, for he was 
called hence as he was composing a commentary upon 
Leviticus. 

it. 3. — From thirty years old and upward, even 
until fifty years old — to do the work in the tabernacle 
of the congregation. 

That indefatigable servant of Christ, the Rev. George 
Whiten eld, preached in the course of his ministry, which 
included thirty-four years, eighteen thousand sermons, 
which was upwards of five hundred in a year. The day 
preceding his death, he expressed a great desire to enter 
into his eternal rest ; at the same time saying, 1 Lord, 
thou knowest I am not weary of Thy work, though I am 
often weary in it.' 

v. 17. — And the priest shall take holy water in an 
earthen vessel. 

Similar to this ordeal, by the water of jealousy, is the 
practice of some of the Africans, among whom Mr Park 
travelled. He says, that, ' at Baniferile, one of the slatees 
(slave merchants) returning to his native town, as soon 
as he had seated himself on a mat by the threshold of 
his door, a young woman, his intended bride, brought a 



64 



NUMBERS VIII 



little water in a calabash, and kneeling down before hiin, 
desired him to wash his hands ; when he had done this, 
the girl, with a tear of joy sparkling in her eves, drank 
the water : this being considered as the greatest proof 
she could give him of fidelity and attachment.' 

vi. 3. — He shall separate himself from wine and 
strong drink. 

A heathen king, who had been for rears confirmed in 
the sin of drunkenness, by the evil practices of white 
men on the Sandwich Islands, had been led to forsake 
the dreadful habit. He said lately to a missionary, 
1 Suppose you put 4000 dollars in one hand, and a glass 
of rum in the other, you say, you drink this rum. I give 
you 4000 dollars, I no drink it ; you say you kill me, I 
no drink it.' 

vii. S9. — When Moses was gone into the tabernacle 
of the congregation to speak with Him, then he heard 
the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy- 
seat. 

Some English soldiers who were quartered on a settle- 
ment in Africa, where the climate was hot and unwhole- 
some, attended no place of worship, nor had any clergy- 
man with them. "While they were in this situation, a 
fatal distemper broke out among them, and carried them 
off daily. A poor negro, who was witness to the case, 
and probably to their neglect of prayer and other ordi- 
nances, mad'e this observation in reference to their con- 
duct — ' The English never speak to God Almighty, — God 
Almighty never speaks to them ; so the devil comes to 
fetch them away.' 

viii. 24. — They shall go in to wait upon the service 
of the tabernacle of the congregation. 

The residence of the late Rev. David Brown in Cal- 
cutta, was at a considerable distance from the Mission 
Church, where he preached ; but no weather ever deterred 
him from meeting the people at the stated periods or 
divine service. And when on any occasion, and even in 
cases of indisposition, he has been urged to postpone the 
service, he would not consent ; for he has observed. * Ir 
the hearers once find a minister to be irregular in his 



NUMBERS IX. 



65 



attendance on them, they will quickly take courage to 
become irregular in attending him ; but when my congre- 
gation sees that no inconvenience whatever makes me 
neglect them, they will be ashamed to keep away on any 
frivolous pretext.' 

ix. 18. — At the commandment of the Lord the 
children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment 
of the Lord they pitched : as long as the cloud abode 
upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 

The Rev. Oliver Heywood, having been settled some 
time at Coley, near Halifax, began to think of entering 
into the married state. The following are his remarks on 
this subject : — ' After I had continued here a considerable 
time, I looked out for a suitable help-meet. I was directed 
to divers, and then stopped in my progress. Many times 
I had good hopes that I was near a conjugal relation, but 
was disappointed by some strange means or other. This 
was no small trouble to me, but was the means of humbling 
my heart, and sending me more frequently and earnestly 
to the throne of grace. I was often afraid of missing my 
way, and as often begged direction, pleading this promise, 
that God will teach the humble His way, and the meek 
He will guide in judgment. I desired not to follow my 
own fancy, but God's counsel. Such observable provi- 
dences as I noticed about this time, concerning these 
things, did mightily prevail upon me to wean me from 
the world, and set my heart on Heaven ; yea, I have been 
convinced thereby of the deceit of strong impressions and 
persuasions that such things would come to pass. — Come, 
my soul, let me lead thee in a rational way. Stay awhile, 
and wait God's time, for He is waiting to be gracious to 
thee, when thou art prepared for the mercy. He will 
meet thee in His own time and way ; and, when it comes, 
it will be the surest and most seasonable blessing that 
ever thou hadst in thy life. In the meantime, if God 
cause thee to live more to Him, and to have more com- 
munion with Him, it will be equivalent to the blessing 
itself/ Mr Heywood was at length married, on 12th 
April 1655, to Miss Angier, daughter of a minister in 
Yorkshire, a lady distinguished for her piety and pru- 
dence, her amiable disposition, and personal accomplish- 
ments. 



E 



66 



NUMBERS XII. 



x. 29. — We are journeying unto the place of which, 
the Lord said, I will give it you : come thou with us, 
and we will do thee good ; for the Lord hath spoken 
good concerning Israel. 

After Mr Philip Henry, who came to Worthenbury a 
stranger, had been in the country for some time, his at- 
tachment to Miss Matthews, afterwards his wife, became 
manifest ; and it was mutual. Among the other objec- 
tions urged by her friends against the connection, was 
this, — that although Mr Henry was a gentleman, and 
a scholar, and an excellent preacher, he was quite a 
stranger, and they did not even know where he came 
'from. 4 True,' replied Miss Matthews, 'but I know where 
he is going, and I should like to go with him.' 

xi. 29. — And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for 
my sake ? Would God that all the Lord's people were 
prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon 
them ! 

Mr Venn, when removed to the obscurity of Yelling, 
never appeared to gain acceptance with the rude rustics 
amongst whom he sojourned ; and at length, being inca- 
pable of much service, he was assisted by a curate from 
Wales, who attracted the people surprisingly. 4 Honest 
Evans,' said he, ' carries all before him.' His family were 
a little jealous of this unexpected preference; but he re- 
buked them : 4 Carry me to hear him,' said he ; 4 God 
honours him, and I will honour him. Have you ever 
studied that text, brother — " He must increase, but I 
must decrease ?" " A man can receive nothing, except 
it be given him from heaven." ' 

xii. 8. — Wherefore, then, were ye not afraid to speak 
against my servant Moses ? 

The late Dr Waugh of London being once present in 
a company consisting of nearly forty gentlemen, when a 
young man, who was then a student for the ministry, was 
entertaining those around him with ungenerous strictures 
upon a popular preacher in the city, he looked at him for 
a time with a strong mixture of pity and grief in his coun- 
tenance. When he had by this manner arrested the at- 
tention of the speaker, he mildly, but pointedly, re- 
marked — 4 My friend, there is a saying in a good old 



NUMBERS XY. 



67 



book, which I would recommend to your reflection : " The 
spirit that dwelleth within us lusteth to envy." ' 

xiii. 32. — They brought up an evil report of the 
land which they had searched. 

Sir W. W. Pepys. in a letter to the late Mrs Hannah 
More, 1825, says, 'We are just now reading in an evening 
a memoir of Mr John Bowdler, written by his son, which 
shows him to have been worthy of that excellent family 
to which he belonged. I have long known and highly 
respected Thomas Bowdler, but of John I knew nothing, 
except an admirable saying, which I remember was at- 
tributed to him, some years ago, when it was the fashion 
to lament over the state of this unhappy country. " If," 
said he, " a man were to go from the northern to the 
southern extremity of this island, with his eyes shut and 
his ears open, he would think that the country was sink- 
ing into an abyss of destruction ; but if he were to return 
with his ears shut and his eyes open, he would be satis- 
fied that we had the greatest reason to be thankful for 
our prosperity." ' 

xiv. 27. — I have heard the murmurings of the 
children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 

A person with not very ample means of support, was 
burthened with a large family. A neighbour had just 
called to tell him of a friend who had got a prize in the 
lottery, when he was also informed of the birth of his 
twelfth child. He exclaimed, peevishly, c God sends meat 
to others, children to me.' It so happened, that God, 
at whose government he had so impiously murmured, 
sent him those riches he longed for. But as He sent him 
the wished-for wealth, He deprived him of the children 
he had complained of. He saw them one by one go to 
the grave before him ; and in advanced life, and great 
affluence, when he endured the stroke of having his last 
beloved daughter taken from his eyes, he bitterly remem- 
bered (it is hoped, with salutary bitterness) his former 
rebellious murmurings against God. 

xv. 28. — And the priest shall make an atonement for 
the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by 
ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for 
him ; and it shall be forgiven him. 



68 



NUMBERS XVII. 



'During part of the time I was in the custom-house 
emplov,' says Mr Newton, 1 1 took a certain kind of fee 
which came into my pocket, which, had I thought it 
wrong, I would sooner have put my hand into the fire. 
One day I went into a house, when I saw a book of Mr 
"Wesley's lying on the table, which treated on different 
kinds of oaths, and showing how much they were vio- 
lated. This opened my mind. I mentioned my scruples 
to the , who endeavoured to remove them. He as- 
sured me, that the , in administering the oath, meant 

that these perquisites should be taken. This did not 
satisfy me. I wrote to two clergymen, stating the case, 
for their counsel how to act. After hearing their opinions, 
I took no more fees. My conscience formerly was unin- 
formed, and did not chide me ; nay, on a Saturday even- 
ing, when I found I had been successful that week, I 
thanked the Lord for it.' 

xvi. 29. — If these men die the common death of all 
men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all 
men, then the Lord hath not sent me. 

About the year 1793, an awful incident occurred at 
Salem, in the State of New Jersey. There had been a 
revival of religion, and the pious part of the community 
had been disturbed with riots and mobs ; but, on making 
application to the civil magistrate, these tumults had been 
effectually suppressed. The opposers of religion turned 
their attention to a new method of entertainment ; acting 
in a farcical way at religious meetings, pretending to 
speak of their experiences, to exhort, etc., in order to 
amuse one another in a profane theatrical manner. One 
night, a young actress stood up on one of the benches, 
pretending to speak of her experience ; and, with mock 
solemnity, cried out, ' Glory to God, I have found peace, 
I am sanctified, I am now fit to die.' Scarcely had this 
unhappy girl uttered these words, before she actually 
dropped dead upon the floor, and was taken up a life- 
less corpse. Struck with this awful visitation, the audi- 
tors were instantly seized with inexpressible terror, and 
every face was covered with consternation and dismay. 

xvii. 8. — On the morrow, Moses went into the taber- 
nacle of witness ; and, behold, the rod of Aaron, for the 



NUMBERS XVIII. 



69 



house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds, 
and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. 

The charitable society for the relief of the widows and 
children of clergymen, since known by the name of the 
1 Corporation for the Sons of the Clergy,' was first com- 
menced in the year 1655. The first sermon was preached 
at St Paul's, on the 5th of November that year, by the Rev. 
George Hall, afterwards Bishop of Chester, from the fol- 
lowing text : — ' The rod of Aaron budded, and bloomed 
blossoms, and yielded almonds.' The preacher enforced 
the necessity and usefulness of a settled ministry ; but his 
sermon breathed great moderation, considering the rancor- 
ous feuds then existing in the Church. These he noticed. 
* Let these ill-invented terms,' said he, ' whereby we have 
been distinguished from each other, be swallowed up in 
that name wmich will lead us hand in hand to heaven — the 
name of Christians. If my stomach, or any of yours, rise 
against the name of brotherly communion, wilich may 
consist with our several principles retained, not differing 
in substantiate, God take down that stomach, and make 
us see how much we are concerned to keep the unity of 
the Spirit in the bond of peace. Why should some, in 
the height of their zeal for the liturgy, suppose there can 
be no service of God but where that is used ? Why should 
others, again, think their piety concerned and trespassed 
upon, if I prefer and think fit to use a set form ? There 
must be abatements and allowances of each other, a com- 
ing down of our punctilios, or we shall never give a good 
account to God.' 

xviii. 1. — And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou, and 
thy sons, and thy father's house with thee, shall bear 
the iniquity of the sanctuary : and thou and thy sons 
with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 

It was the constant endeavour of the Rev. S. Kilpin to 
go from the closet to the pulpit. His expression was, 4 1 
need to have my heart warmed by the Sun of Righteous- 
ness ere I address the hearts of others.' He often re- 
marked, * I have preached with self-application to-day, 
and have been humbled in the dust, or have derived 
divine light from the subject presented to view, if no one 
else is benefited.' Frequently he exclaimed, after four or 
five public services on the Sabbath-day, ' Never does the 



70 



NUMBERS XXI. 



blood of Christ appear so valuable as at the close of sucn 
a Sabbath. In this fountain I bathe. Lord pardon the 
sins of my holy duties.' 

xix. 20. — The man that shall be unclean, and shall 
not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among 
the congregation, because he hath defiled the sanctuary 
of the Lord. 

A person on a journey, not much acquainted with true 
religion, after being for some time pensive, exclaimed to 
his companion, 'I never shall forget an expression my 
friend made on his dying bed some years ago. On being 
asked what it was. it was said to be this: — "You must 
die as I soon shall ; but if your heart be not changed, 
you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven ; and if that be 
the case, I think we shall never meet again.'" 

xx. 5. — Wherefore have ye made us to come up out 
of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place ? It is no 
place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegra- 
nates ; neither is there any water to drink. 

Mr Cecil, riding one day with a friend in a very windy 
day, the dust being very troublesome, his companion 
wished that they could ride in the fields, where they 
would be free from dust ; and this wish he repeated 
more than once while on the road. At length they 
reached the fields, when the flies so teased his friend's 
horse, that he could scarcely keep his seat on the saddle. 
On his bitterly complaining, ' Ah ! Sir,' said Mr Cecil, 
i when you were in the road, the dust was your only 
trouble, and all your anxiety was to get into the fields ; 
you forgot that the fly was there. Now this is a true 
picture of human life, and you will find it so in all 
the changes you make in future. We know the trials of 
our present situation, but the next will have trials, and 
perhaps worse, though they maybe of a different kind.' 

xxi. 4. — The soul of the people was much discou- 
raged because of the way. 

A stage coach was a short time since passing through 
the interior of Massachussets, on the way to Boston. It 
was a warm summer day, and the coach was filled with 
passengers, all impatient to arrive at the city at an early 
hour in the evening. The excessive heat rendered it 



NUMBERS XXII. 



71 



necessary for the driver to spare his horses more than 
usual. Most of the passengers were fretting and com- 
plaining that he did not urge his horses along faster. But 
one gentleman sat in the corner of the stage calm and 
quiet. The irritation, which was destroying the happi- 
ness of all the others, seemed not to disturb his feelings 
in the least. At last the coach broke down as they were 
ascending a long steep hill, and the passengers were com- 
pelled to alight, and travel some distance on foot under 
the rays of the burning sun. This new interruption 
caused a general burst of vexatious feelings. All the 
party, with the exception of the gentleman alluded to, 
toiled up the hill, irritated and complaining. He walked 
along, good-humoured and happy, and endeavouring by 
occasional pleasantry of remark to restore good humour to 
the party. It was known that this gentleman, who was 
extensively engaged in mercantile concerns, had business 
which rendered it necessary that he should be in the city 
at an early hour. The delay was consequently to him a 
serious inconvenience. Yet, while all the rest of the 
party were ill-humoured and vexed, he alone was un- 
troubled. At last one asked how it was that he retained 
his composure under such vexatious circumstances? The 
gentleman replied, that he could have no control over the 
circumstances in which he was then placed ; that he had 
commended himself and his business to the protection of 
the Lord, and that if it were the Lord's will that he 
should not enter Boston at as early an hour as he de- 
sired, it was his duty patiently and pleasantly to submit. 
With these feelings he was patient and submissive, and 
cheerful. The day, which to the rest of the party was 
rendered disagreeable by vexation and complaint, was by 
him passed in gratitude and enjoyment. And when, late 
in the evening, he arrived in the city with a serene mind, 
he was prepared to engage in his duties. 

xxii. 18. — Balaam said, If Balak would give me his 
house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the 
word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 

' Four individuals,' says a clergyman in Ireland, * have 
within a few months come over to us, having publicly re- 
nounced the errors of the Church of Rome. One of these 
persons, an individual of some little importance amongst 



72 



NUMBERS XXVI. 



them, has been most bitterly persecuted; but, though 
offered £50 by a near relation, through the medium of 
her former priest, she refused the bribe, saying, " Take 
back the price of sin : Judas betrayed his Master for 
thirty pieces of silver, I will not deny Christ for fifty 
pieces of gold." ' 

xxiii. 10. — Let me die the death of the righteous, 
and let my last end be like his. 

Dr Ailmer, rector of Much Hadham, Herts, died in 
1625, closing his own eyelids, and with these words in 
his mouth : — 1 Let my people know that their pastor died 
undaunted, and not afraid of death. I bless my God I 
have no fear, no doubt, no reluctance, but a sure confi- 
dence in the sin-overcoming merits of Jesus Christ.' 

xxiv. 17. — There shall come a Star out of Jacob. 

Mr Renwick, the last of the Scottish martyrs, speak- 
ing of his sufferings for conscience' sake, says, ' Enemies 
think themselves satisfied that we are put to wander in 
mosses, and upon mountains ; but even amidst the storms 
of these last two nights, I cannot express what sweet 
times I have had, when I had no covering but the dark 
curtains of night. Yea, in the silent watch, my mind 
was led out to admire the deep and inexpressible ocean 
of joy, wherein the whole family of heaven swim. Each 
star led me to wonder what He must be, who is the Star 
n * ^Jacob, of whom all stars borrow their shining.' 

xxv. 13. — Phinehas was zealous for his God. 

Mr Andrew Melville, Professor of Divinity at St An- 
drews, in the reign of James VI., was a very bold and 
zealous man for the cause of God and truth. When 
some of his more moderate brethren blamed him for 
being too hot and fiery, he was wont to reply, 6 If you 
see my fire go downwards, set your foot upon it, and 
put it out ; but if it go upward, let it return to its own 
place.' 

xxvi. 9. — They strove against the Lord. 

A minister praying for a child apparently dying, said, 
* If it be Thy will, spare .' The wretched and dis- 
tracted mother, interrupting him, cried, 1 It must be His 
will— I will have no ifs.' The child, to the surprise of 



NUMBERS XXIX. 



73 



many, recovered, but lived to break his mother's heart, 
and was publicly executed at the age of twenty-two. - 

xxvii. 16, 17. — Let the Lord, the God of the spirits 
of all flesh, set a man over the congregation — that the 
congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have 
no shepherd. 

The following reflections, occasioned by the death of 
two ministers residing in the same neighbourhood, who 
died within two days of each other, have been extracted 
from an excellent little volume, entitled, 4 Sacred Apho- 
risms,' by Mr Thomas Pauling: — ' Two famous lights in 
one week are put, not under a bushel, but under a grave- 
stone. God is now calling in His labourers, then, who 
shall gather in His harvest ? He is putting out the lights, 
and who shall guide them to Immanuel's land ? God's 
gardens take a great deal of dressing ; and when dressers 
are taken away, what danger are vineyards in of becom- 
ing like the field of the slothful ! The loss of a guide in 
the way to heaven is not a small loss. God pulls out 
stakes in Zion's hedge, but few are put • in to make up 
the gap. Bat while we obey the precept, "Pray ye 
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth 
labourers into His harvest," Lord, fulfil Thy promise, " I 
will give you pastors according to My heart, which shall 
feed you with knowledge and understanding." ' 

xxviii. 25. — On the seventh day ye shall have an 
holy convocation ; ye shall do no servile work. 

A professional gentleman in Berkshire, whom God has 
made the instrument of very considerable good in the 
country, was first led seriously to embrace the Gospel, 
from a person's refusing to transact some urgent business 
with him on the Lord's day. 

xxix. 35. — Ye shall do no servile work therein. 
When his Majesty George III. was repairing his palace 

at Kew, one of the workmen, who was a pious character, 
was particularly noticed by the King, and he often held 
conversations with him of some length upon serious sub- 
jects. One Monday morning, his Majesty went as usual 
to watch the progress of the work, and not seeing this 
man in his customary place, inquired the reason of his 



74 



NUMBERS XXX. 



absence. The King was informed that, not having been 
able to complete a particular job on the Saturday night, 
they had returned to finish it on the following morning. 
This man alone had refused to comply, because he con- 
sidered it a violation of the Christian Sabbath ■ and, in 
consequence of what was called his obstinacy, he had 
been dismissed from his employment. ' Call him back 
immediately,' exclaimed the good King ; 1 the man who 
refused doing his ordinary work on the Lord's day, is the 
man for me. Let him be sent for.' The man was accord- 
ingly replaced, and the King ever after showed him par- 
ticular favour. 

xxx. 2. — If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or 
swear an oath, to bind his soul with a bond ; he shall 
not break his word, he shall do according to all that 
proceedeth out of his mouth. 

The stage was crowded with passengers as it passed 
from New York to Boston. It was late in the evening, 
when one of the passengers, a sea captain, endeavoured 
to excite the attention of the drowsy company, by giving 
a relation of his own circumstances. He had been at sea in 
a fine ship ; in a dreadful storm his ship had been wrecked, 
his money and property all destroyed, and every soul on 
board had been lost except himself, who had saved his 
life by being on a plank, at the mercy of the waves, for 
several days together. The company were interested in 
this narrative : they pitied the poor unfortunate captain, 
who was returning home to his family entirely destitute ; 
but they wondered that a man relating such a tale, and 
telling of an escape almost miraculous, should confirm 
almost every sentence with an oath. Nothing, however, 
was said to him. In the morning, when the stage stopped, 
Mr B., one of the passengers, invited the captain to walk 
on before with him, designing to step into the stage when 
it should come up. The proposal was agreed to, and they 
walked on alone. MrB. said, 'Did I understand you last 
night — the stage made much noise — did you say that you 
had lost your ship ? ' ' Yes.' 'That you saved your life 
on a plank?' 'Yes.' 'Let me ask you one more ques- 
tion — when on that plank, did you not vow to your God, 
that if He would spare your life, you would devote that life 
to His service?' 'None of your business,' said the cap- 



NUMBERS XXXI. 



75 



tain, angrily. The stage by this time came up, and they 
entered it. Towards evening, as the stage was entering 
Providence, the captain informed the company that he 
should not sup with them, as he was so unfortunate as not 
to have any money. Mr B. took from his pocket, and 
offered him a handsome bill. ' No,' said the captain, ' I 
am poor, yet I am no beggar.' ' But,' replied Mr B., 
4 1 do not give it to you as to a beggar, but as to an un- 
fortunate brother. You must learn that I profess to be a 
Christian, and I am taught by my religion to do good 
unto all men. The Gospel prescribes no limits to bene- 
volence ; it teaches us to do good to all.' The company 
applauded, and pressed the captain to take the money. 
He silently put it into his pocket, without even thanking 
the donor ; though his countenance betrayed uneasiness. 
The company supped together, and the captain bade each 
adieu, after having asked Mr B. when he left the town. 
He was informed, on the morrow at sunrise. They then 
parted. The captain went home with a heavy heart, while 
Mr B. retired to rest. He was surprised, the next morn- 
ing at day-light, to hear some one rap at the door. He 
opened it, and beheld the captain standing before him in 
tears. The captain, pressing his hand, said, ' Sir, I have 
not slept a wink since I saw you ; I abused you yester- 
day ; I am now come to ask your pardon. I did, while 
on that plank, vow to God, that I would live differently 
from what I ever had done ; and, by God's help, from this 
time forward, I am determined to do so.' The captain 
could not proceed ; they pressed each other's hands, and 
parted, probably to meet no more in this world. 

xxxi. 50. — We have brought an oblation for the 
Lord, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, 
chains, and bracelets, rings, ear-rings, and tablets. 

A minister, preaching for a Missionary Society, re- 
marked, in the course of the sermon, that ' if the ladies 
who came out of Egypt could give their golden trinkets 
to Aaron to make a calf for the support of idolatry, surely 
Christian ladies would not deem it a great sacrifice to give 
up some of their trinkets, for the noble and benevolent 
cause of diffusing among the heathen the unsearchable 
riches of Christ.' The next morning a box was sent, by 
an unknown lady, containing an amber necklace, a pair 



76 



NUMBERS XXXII. 



of gold ear-rings, and a diamond ring, as a present to the 
Missionary Society. 

xxxii. 23. — Be sure your sin will find you out. 

4 1 was once applied to,' says the late Mr English of 
"Woodburn, in his diary, 4 by a stranger, in a place where I 
was labouring for a few Sabbaths only, for a sight of a 
letter which I had received calumniating his character. I 
looked at the man and pitied him, and coolly replied, " It 
would be a breach of the common principles of society, to 
show confidential letters written to us for the purpose of 
our doing people good." He retorted in an angry tone, 
"I demand a sight of it, sir, as an act of justice due to an 
injured man." 1 replied, " How did you know that I had 
received a letter concerning you?" "Know," said he, 
" it was impossible not to know it ; your language and 
manner were so pointed, that it was impossible I should 
be deceived!" I rejoined, "Do not be too positive: 
you have been deceived before now, I suppose ; you may 
be so again." "It is not possible," said he; "you de- 
scribed the sin of which I am accused in the clearest lan- 
guage, and looking me in the face, and pointing towards 
me, you said, sinner, be sure your sin will find you out ; 
I therefore expect from you, sir, as a gentleman and a 
Christian minister, that you will give me a sight of the 
letter, that I may know its contents and repel its charge." 
I observed, " I do not know your name ; to my know- 
ledge I never saw you before ; and as you have not told 
me in what part of the sermon it was I was so pointed, if 
I show you any letter I may show you the wrong one ; I 
shall, therefore, certainly not exhibit any of my letters to 
you, nor satisfy you whether I have received any one about 
you, till you describe the case alluded to." He hesitated, 
but afterwards described the sin of which he was accused. 
When he had finished, looking him full in his eyes, assum- 
ing a solemn attitude, and using a grave and serious tone 
of voice, I said, " Can you look me full in the face, as 
you must your Judge at the great day of God, and de- 
clare that you are innocent of this sin laid to your charge? " 
He trembled, turned pale, and his voice faltered, — guilt 
and anger struggling in his breast, like the fire in the 
bowels of Mount Etna, and, summoning up his remaining 
courage, he said, " I am not bound to make any man my 
confessor ; and, if I were guilty, no man has a right to 



NUMBERS XXXIII. 



77 



hold me up to public observation, as you have done." I 
assumed a benignity of countenance, and softened my tone, 
saying, "Do you believe the passage I cited — Be sure 
your sin will find you out — is the word of God ? " He said, 
" It may be." ' ; Surely it is," said I ; " He that made the 
ear, shall He not hear ? He that made the eye, shall He not 
see ? Can He have any difficulty in bringing your sin to 
light ? Now I will tell you honestly, I never received 
any letter or information about you whatever, but I am 
persuaded your sin has found you out ; the preaching of 
the word is one method by which God makes men's sins 
find them out. Let me entreat you seriously to consider 
your state and character ; who can tell — God may have 
intended this sermon for your good ; He may mean to have 
mercy on you ; this may be the means of saving your neck 
from the gallows, and your soul from hell : bat let me re- 
mind you, you are not there yet, there still is hope." He 
held down his head, clenched his hands one into the other, 
and bursting into tears, said, "I never met with anything 
like this — I am certainly obliged to you for your friend- 
ship — I am guilty, and hope this conversation will be of 
essential advantage to me ! " 

xxxiii. 1. — These are the journeys of the children of 
Israel. 

Pitts, an eastern traveller, in describing his return from 
Mecca, says, 1 The first day we set out from Mecca, it 
was without any order at all, but the next day every one 
laboured to get forward, and in order to it, there was many 
times much quarrelling and fighting. But after every 
one had taken his place in the caravan, they orderly and 
peaceably kept the same place till they came to Grand 
Cairo. They travel four camels a-breast, which are all 
tied one after the other, like as in teams. The whole 
body is called a caravan, which is divided into several 
cotters or companies, each of which has its name, and 
consists, it may be, of several thousand camels : and they 
move one cotter after another, like distinct troops. In 
the head of each cotter is some great gentleman or officer, 
who is carried in a thing like a horse-litter. In the head 
of every cotter there goes likewise a sumpter camel, 
which carries his treasure. This camel has two bells, 
about the bigness of our market-bells, hanging one on 
each side, the sound of which may be heard a great way 



78 



NUMBERS XXXY. 



off. Some others of the camels have round bells about 
their necks, some about their legs, like those which our 
carriers put about their fore-horses' neck ; which, together 
with the servants (who belong to the camels, and travel 
on foot), singing all night, make a pleasant noise, — and 
the journey passes away delightfully. They say the music 
makes the camels brisk and lively. Thus they travel in 
good order every day, till they come to Grand Cairo : and 
were it not for this order, you may guess what confusion 
would be among such a vast multitude. They have lights 
by night (which is the chief time of travelling, because of 
the exceeding heat of the sun by day), which are carried 
on the tops of high poles to direct the hagies, or pilgrims, 
in their march/ 

xxxiv. 12. — The goings out of it shall be at the salt 
sea. 

A late traveller, to whose unpublished journal Dr Rus- 
sell repeatedly refers in his Description of Palestine, re- 
marks that the Lake of Sodom, when he visited it, was 
sunk or hollow, and that the banks had been recently un- 
der water, being still very miry and difficult to pass. The 
shores were covered with dry wood, some of it good tim- 
ber, which they say is brought by the Jordan from the 
country of the Druses. ' The water is pungently salt, 

like oxymuriate of soda. It is incredibly buoyant. G 

bathed in it ; and when he lay still on his back or face, 
he floated with one-fourth at least of his whole body 
above the water. He described the sensation as extra- 
ordinary, and more like lying on a feather-bed than 
floating on water. On the other hand, he found the 
greatest resistance in attempting to move through it ; it 
smarted his eyes excessively. I put a piece of stick in, — 
it required a good deal of pressure to make it sink, and 
when let go, it bounded out again like a blown bladder. 
The water is clear and of a yellowish tinge, which might 
be from the colour of the stones at the bottom, or from 
the hazy atmosphere. There were green shrubs down to 
the water's edge in one place, and nothing to give an idea 
of anything blasting in the neighbourhood of the sea ; the 
desert character of the soil extending far beyond the 
possibility of being affected by its influence.' 

xxxv. 31. — Moreover, ye shall take no satisfaction 



NUMBERS XXXVI. 



79 



for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death, but 
he shall be surely put to death. 

In a letter from Lord Seaforth, Governor of Barbadoes, 
to Lord Hobart, dated March 18, 1802, his Lordship says, 
4 You will observe in the last day's proceedings of the 
Assembly, that the majesty of the House had taken con- 
siderable offence at a message of mine, recommending an 
act to be passed to make the murder of a slave felony. 
At present, the fine for the crime is only £1 5. A com- 
mittee of the whole house was hereupon appointed to 
prepare an answer to the Governor's message, which 
should be " moderate and respectful, but calculated to 
repel insult, evinces that the House understands its in- 
terests, and asserts its rights." " Whoso sheddeth man's 
blood, by man shall his blood be shed," saith the law of 
God, in Gen. ix. 6. — " Whoso sheddeth the blood of a 
negro," saith the law of Barbadoes, "shall pay £15;" — 
and the humane legislators resent the proposal of render- 
ing murder felony : they understand their interest and 
their rights too well to conform to the law of God !' 

xxxvi. 6. — Let them marry to whom they think 
best ; only to the family of the tribe of their father 
shall they marry. 

Mr Philip Henry used to give two advices, both to his 
children and others, in reference to marriages. One was, 
4 Keep within the bounds of profession.' The other was, 
1 Look at suitableness in age, quality, education, temper,' 
etc. He used to observe, from Gen. ii. 18, 'I will make 
him a help-meet for him,' that where there is not meet- 
ness, there will not be much help. He commonly said to 
his children, with reference to their choice in marriage, 
' Please God, and please yourselves, and you shall never 
displease me ;' and greatly blamed those parents who con- 
clude matches for their children without their consent. 
He sometimes mentioned the saying of a pious gentle- 
woman, who had many daughters — ' The care of most 
people is how to get good husbands for their daughters ; 
but my care is to fit my daughters to be good wives, and 
then let God provide for them.' 



80 



DEUTERONOMY II. 



DEUTERONOMY. 

Chap. i. ver. 17. — Ye shall not respect persons in 
judgment — ye shall not be afraid of the face of man, 
for the judgment is God's. 

During Colonel Gardiner's residence at Bankton, the 
Commander of the King's forces, with several colonels 
and gentlemen of rank, one day dined with him. When 
the company assembled, he addressed them with a great 
deal of respect, and yet with a very frank and determined 
air, and told them that he had the honour in that district 
to be a Justice of the Peace, and, consequently, that he 
was sworn to put the laws in execution, and, among the 
rest, those against swearing ; that he could not execute 
upon others with any confidence, or approve himself as a 
man of impartiality and integrity to his own heart, if he 
suffered them to be broken in his presence by persons of 
any rank whatever ; and that, therefore, he entreated all 
the gentlemen who then honoured him with their com- 
pany, that they would please to be on their guard ; and 
that if any oath or curse should escape them, he hoped 
they would consider his legal animadversion upon it as 
a regard to the duties of his office, and dictates of his 
conscience, and not as any want of deference to them. 
The commanding officer immediately supported him in 
this declaration, as entirely becoming the station in which 
he was, assuring him he would be ready to pay the 
penalty if he inadvertently transgressed ; and when 
Colonel Gardiner on any occasion stepped out of the 
room, he himself undertook to be the guardian of the law 
in his absence ; and, as one of the inferior officers offended 
during this time, he informed the Colonel, so that the fine 
was exacted and given to the poor, with the approbation 
of the company. 

ii. 7. — These forty years the Lord thy God hath 
been with thee ; thou hast lacked nothing. 

A pious minister in England relates, in a letter to a 
friend, that, being at one time in great want of money, 
and knowing not to whom he should apply for aid, he 
betook himself to prayer, committing his case to the 



DEUTERONOMY IV. 



81 



Lord, and seeking direction from Him. In a day or two 
after, a servant called, telling him, that a gentleman 

wished him to dine with him at N . The gentleman 

had come from B , after his marriage, to see the 

minister, as he had been formerly acquainted with him. 
He presented the minister with ten pounds, as a mar- 
riage present, which relieved him from his embarrass- 
ments, and filled him with gratitude to God fsr so 
seasonable a supply of his wants. 

iii. 17. — Jordan, and the coast thereof, from Chin- 
nereth even unto the sea of the plain, even the salt 
sea. 

M. Chateaubriand, describing the present state of the 
valley through which flows the Jordan, says, 4 Here and 
there stunted shrubs with difficulty vegetate upon this 
inanimate tract ; their leaves are covered with salt, 
which has nourished them, and their bark has a smoky 
smell and taste. Instead of villages you perceive the 
ruins of a few towers. Through the middle of this valley 
flows a discoloured river, which reluctantly creeps to- 
wards the pestilential lake, by which it is engulphed. Its 
course amidst the sands can be distinguished only by the 
willows and fhe reeds that border it ; and the Arab lies in 
ambush among these reeds to attack the traveller, and to 
plunder the pilgrim. — Such is the scene famous for the 
benedictions and curses of Heaven. This river is the 
J ordan ; this lake is the Dead Sea ; it appears brilliant, 
but the guilty cities entombed in its bosom seem to have 
poisoned its waters. Its solitary abysses cannot afford 
nourishment to any living creature ; never did vessel cut 
its waves : its shores are without birds, without trees, 
without verdure ; and its waters excessively bitter, and 
so heavy, that the most impetuous winds can scarcely 
ruffle their surface.' 

iv. 6. — Keep therefore and do them; for this is 
your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of 
the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and 
say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understand- 
ing people. 

i About twenty years ago,' says one, 4 passing the house 
where Thomas Paine boarded, the low window was open, 

F 



82 



DEUTERONOMY Y. 



and seeing him sitting close by, I stepped in. Seven or 
eight of his friends were present, whose doubts and his 
own he was labouring to remove, by a long talk about the 
story of Joshua commanding the sun and moon to stand 
still ; and he concluded by denouncing the Bible as the worst 
of books, and that it had occasioned more mischief and 
bloodshed than any book ever printed, and was believed 
only by fools and knaves. Here he paused ; and while he 
was replenishing his tumbler with his favourite brandy 
and water, a person asked Mr Paine if he ever was in Scot- 
land ? The answer was, " Yes." " So have I," con- 
tinued the speaker, " and the Scotch are the greatest bigots 
about the Bible I ever met ;— it is their school-book, their 
houses and churches are furnished with Bibles, and if they 
travel but a few miles from home, their Bible is always 
their companion ; yet, in no other country where I have 
travelled, have I seen the people so comfortable and 
happy. Their poor are not in such abject poverty as I have 
seen in other countries. By their bigoted custom of going 
to church on Sundays, they save the wages which they 
earn through the week, which, in other countries that I 
have visited, are generally spent by mechanics, and other 
young men, in taverns and frolics, on Sundays ; and of 
all the foreigners who land on our shores, none are so 
much sought after for servants, and to fill places where 
trust is reposed, as the Scotch. You rarely find them in 
taverns, the watch-house, alms-house, bridewell, or pri- 
son. Now, if the Bible is so bad a book, those who use 
it most would be the worst of people ; but the reverse is 
the case." This was a sort of argument Paine was not 
prepared to answer, and an historical fact which could 
not be denied; so, without saying a word, he lifted a 
candle from the table, and walked up stairs. His dis- 
ciples slipped out one by one, and left the speaker and 
myself to enjoy the scene.' 

v. 16. — Honour thy father and thy mother, as the 
Lord thy God hath commanded thee. 

A boy, about ten years of age, having lost his father, 
and his mother being ill at an hospital, was sent to the 
workhouse at Shrewsbury. He was sent to work, that he 
might earn, as soon as possible, his own livelihood. He 
behaved well, and was diligent at his work. Very soon 
he had a little money given to him as a reward ; and he 



DEUTER0X03IY VII. 



83 



was told that he might do with it what he pleased. As 
soon as he had received it, he asked leave of his master 
to go and see his mother. He took the money with him, 
and gave it to her. It was not much, but it was all that 
he had to give ; and the disposition with which it was 
given was more comforting to his mother than the value 
of the gift. 

vi. 7. — Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy 
children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in 
thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and 
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 

Of the late excellent Mrs Berry of "Warminster, it is 
said, that her Sabbath evenings were employed in read- 
ing the Scriptures, and holding familiar dialogues with 
her three children. After hearing them repeat a short 
prayer, and one of Watts' little hymns for children, she 
seated them each on a separate chair, while, with mater- 
nal simplicity and endearments, she heard and answered 
their questions, and proposed her own. Dismissing the 
two youngest to rest, the eldest (being now six years old) 
was retained up a little longer. With him it was her 
constant Sabbath-evening custom to kneel and pray. At 
these periods she forgot herself in endeavouring to inte- 
rest her boy. She would begin with prayer for his father, 
who, at that moment, was preaching to his people ; then 
she would pray for her children one by one. After men- 
tioning their names, she either implored forgiveness for 
them, or expressed her gratitude that ' the Great God had 
made them such good children.' Taking this boy one day 
into the parlour where she usually performed these exer- 
cises, his father asked him, if his dear mother did not 
sometimes kneel with him and pray ? With eyes instantly 
filled with tears, the little disciple artlessly replied, 1 Yes, 
father, mother used to kneel at that chair, and hold my 
hand, and pray for father that he might do good, and for 
me, and Henry, and for little Mary, and for all of us.' 

vii. 22. — The Lord tby God will put out those na- 
tions before thee by little and little : thou mayest not 
consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field in- 
crease upon thee. 

It is here supposed, that if Judea should be thinly 



84 



DEUTERONOMY X. 



peopled, the wild beasts would so multiply there as to 
render it dangerous to the inhabitants. Haynes, when 
describing his arrival at Cana of Galilee, says, — 'The ap- 
proaching Cana at the close of the day, as we did, is at 
once terrifying and dangerous. The surrounding country 
swarms with wild beasts, such as tigers, leopards, jackals, 
etc., whose cries and howling, I doubt not, as it did me, 
would strike the boldest traveller, who had not been fre- 
quently in a like situation, with the deepest sense of hor- 
ror.' The same traveller, giving an account of his visit 
to Mount Tabor, on the top of which he found many ruins, 
remarks — ' I amused myself a considerable time in walk- 
ing about the area, and creeping into several holes and 
subterraneous caverns among the ruins. My guide per- 
ceiving me thus employed, told me I must be more cau- 
tious how I ventured into those places, for that he could 
assure me those holes and caverns were frequently resorted 
to by tigers in the day-time, to shelter them from the sun; 
and therefore I might pay dear for gratifying my curi- 
osity.' 

viii. 15. — Wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions. 

An Emperor of Persia, who designed to go on a jour- 
ney into Media, durst not proceed on account of the vast 
quantity of scorpions that were lying about the road. He 
sent a great number of stout fellows to destroy these ter- 
rible creatures, promising a superior reward to him who 
killed most. Till this execution was over, he durst not 
venture his dignified person abroad. 

ix. 12. — They have made them a molten image. 

A boy who came to school in India, and was instructed 
in the doctrines and precepts of religion, was one day or- 
dered by his parents to worship an image they had lately 
bought. The boy knew, however, that it was sinful, and 
refused to do so. He patiently endured a great deal of ill 
treatment ; but his parents seeing, at length, that he was 
dutiful in all other respects, did not any longer require 
him to worship their image. 

x. 19. — Love ye therefore the stranger; for ye were 
strangers in the land of Egypt. 

Haynes informs us, that having arrived at Nazareth, in 
the end of December, about five in the evening, upon en- 



DEUTERONOMY XII. 



85 



tering the town, he and his party saw two women filling 
their pitchers with water at a fountain he had described, and 
about twelve others waiting for the same purpose, whom 
they desired to pour some into a trough which stood by, 
that their horses might drink. They had no sooner made 
the request than the women complied, and filled the 
trough, and the others waited with the greatest patience. 
Upon the travellers returning their thanks, one of the 
women, with great modesty, replied, ' We consider kind- 
ness and hospitality to strangers as an essential part of 
our duty.' 

xi. 19. — Ye shall teach them your children, speaking 
of them when thou sittest in thine house. 

In Iceland, a custom prevails among the people, of 
spending their long evenings in a manner which must 
powerfully tend to promote their religious improvement. 
The whole family assembles at dusk, and around the 
lamp, every one except the reader having some kind of 
work to perforin. The reader is frequently interrupted, 
either by the head, or some of the most intelligent mem- 
bers of the family, who make remarks on various parts of 
the story, and propose questions with a view to exercise 
the ingenuity of the children and servants. In this form 
of exercise the Bible is preferred to every other book. At 
the conclusion of the labour a prayer is offered, and the 
exercise is concluded with a psalm. Their morning de- 
votions are conducted in a similar manner at the lamp. 
What great opportunity for religious instruction of youth ! 

xii. 32. — What things soever I command you, ob- 
serve to do it: thoushalt not add thereto, nor diminish 
from it 

As the second commandment so expressly forbids the 
use of images in the worship of God, the Roman Catho- 
lics omit it in their catechisms and books of devotion, and 
divide the tenth into two. The Rev. Mr Temple, one of 
the American missionaries at Malta, relates the following 
fact : — 1 My teacher, a native of Italy, came into my room 
one morning, and took up a tract then lying on the table, 
and immediately cast his eyes upon the Ten Command- 
ments, which I* had inserted at the end. As soon as he 
bad read the second commandment, he confessed much 



80 



DEUTERONOMY XIV. 



astonishment, and asked whether this was part of the de- 
calogue ? I immediately showed him this commandment 
in Archbishop Martini's Italian translation of the Latin 
Vulgate. He could not suppress his feelings of surprise 
on reading this in the Italian Bible, and in a version, too, 
authorised by the Pope. " I have lived," said he, " fifty 
years ; have been publicly educated in Italy ; have had 
the command of a regiment of men, and fought in many 
campaigns ; but, till this hour, I never knew that such a 
commandment as this is written in the pages of the 
Bible." ' 

xiii. 17. — There shall cleave nought of the cursed 
thing to thine hand. 

On one occasion, when the converted natives of Hua- 
hine, in the South Sea, and the idolatrous party, were 
about to engage in battle, two leaders of the Christian 
party made an offer of peace. They said, 6 You must 
soon fall into our hands, or we must soon fall into yours ; 
but, if you will lay down your arms now, we will be friends 
with you.' The other party answered, 4 We will have 
peace; we will not fight for those false gods any more; 
we will submit to the true God ! ' Peace was concluded ; 
a fire was lighted, and the image of Tani, their god, was 
thrown into the flames, and burnt to ashes before the eyes 
of both parties. His house was immediately consumed, 
and his marae, or temple, destroyed. A leader among 
the converts being congratulated on having been the 
instrument of accomplishing so great a deliverance of 
his nation from the thraldom of Satan, he replied, with 
much emotion, 'All my forefathers worshipped Tani: 
where are they now ? It is my mercy to live in better 
days.' 

xiv. 6. — Every beast that parteth the hoof, and 
cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that ye shall eat. 

Chewing the cud has often been referred to as emble- 
matical of meditation, or the digesting of our spiritual 
food. Mr Philip Henry notes in his diary the saying of 
a pious hearer of his own, as what much affected him : — 
4 1 find it easier,' said the good man, i to go six miles to 
hear a sermon, than to spend one quarter of an hour in 
meditating and praying over it in secret, as I should, when 
I come home.' 



DEUTERONOMY XVI. 



87 



xv. 10. — Thou shalt surely give him, and thine 
heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him ; 
because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless 
thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine 
hand unto. 

The Rev. Mr Whately having in a sermon warmly re- 
commended his hearers to put in a purse by itself a cer- 
tain portion for every pound of the profits of their worldly 
trades, for works of piety ; he observed, that instead of 
secret grudging when objects of charity were presented, 
they would look out for them, and rejoice to find them. 
A neighbouring clergyman hearing him, and being deeply 
affected wdth that he so forcibly recommended, went to 
him after the sermon was ended, and asked what propor- 
tion of his income he ought in conscience to give. i As 
to that,' said he, 4 1 am not to prescribe to others ; but I 
will tell you what hath been my own practice. You know, 
Sir, some years ago, I was often beholden to you for the 
loan of ten pounds at a time. The truth is, I could not 
bring the year about, though my receipts were not despic- 
able, and I was not at all conscious of any unnecessary 
expenses. At length I inquired of my family w r hat relief 
was given to the poor ; and not being satisfied, I instantly 
resolved to lay aside every tenth shilling of all my receipts 
for charitable uses : and the Lord has made me so to 
thrive, since I adopted this method, that now, if you have 
occasion, I can lend you ten times as much as I have for- 
merly been forced to borrow.' 

xvi. 20. — That which is altogether just shalt thou 
follow. 

Mr Ellis relates, that two principal chiefs walking by 
the sea-side, came to a place where a fisherman had been 
sharpening his hooks, but had forgotten his file, which, in 
the estimation of the natives, is an article of considerable 
value. As the fisherman had retired from the place, and 
was totally unknown to the chiefs, they picked up the 
file, and went on their way. They had not proceeded far 
before one of them, reflecting on the circumstance, said to 
the other, 4 This is not our file ; and is not our taking it 
theft V 1 Perhaps it is,' replied the other, 'yet as the real 
owner is unknown, I do not know who has a better right 
to it than ourselves.' ' I am satisfied,' rejoined his com- 



88 



DEUTERONOMY XIX. 



panion, c that it is not ours, and therefore think we had 
better give it away.' To this the other consented, and 
the file was given to the first man they met, accompa- 
nied with its little history, and a strict injunction, that in- 
quiry should be made after the proprietor, to whom it 
should be given if he could be discovered : if not, it was 
to become his own property. 

xvii. 19. — It shall be with him, and he shall read 
therein all the days of his life. 

During the time that Dr Kennicott was employed in 
preparing his Polyglot Bible, he was accustomed to hear 
his wife read to him. in their daily airings, those different 
portions to which his immediate attention was called. 
When preparing for their ride, the day after this great 
work was completed, upon her asking him what book she 
should now take, ' Oh,' exclaimed he, ' let us begin the 
Bible.' 

xviii. 10-12. — There shall not be found among you 
— a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a 
wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things 
are an abomination unto the Lord. 

A woman who lived in the county of Sussex, a few years 
since, having the ague, and hearing of a man who could 
charm it away, went to him : he gave her what he called a 
charm, which was a paper sewed up in a bag, which she 
was to wear round her neck, and never to open it, for if 
she did, he told her the complaint would return again. 
The disease was removed ; she continued to wear the bag 
till the end of four years, when she was stirred up to a 
concern about her soul, and was taught by the Spirit to 
see and to feel the exceeding sinfulness of sin. She then, 
for the first time, began to fear whether this charm was 
not the work of Satan. For many days she prayed to 
the Lord to teach her what she ought to do respecting 
it, and at last she saw it to be her duty to take it off ; 
and, opening it, found it thus written on the paper — ■ 
Torment her not till she is in hell. The disease never re- 
turned. 

xix. 16. — If a false witness rise up against any 
man, to testify against him that which is wrong, etc. 



DEUTERONOMY XXI. 



89 



A gentleman who had suffered much loss in his affairs 
by the malice of a person who lived in his vicinity, taught 
a parrot to pronounce, in a clear articulate voice, the 
Ninth Commandment, ' Thou shalt not bear false wit- 
ness against thy neighbour.' He kept .the bird hanging 
in a cage opposite the informer's house, who, whenever he 
appeared, heard himself saluted with — ; Thou shalt not 
bear false witness against thy neighbour.' This exhorta- 
tion being kept constantly ringing in his ears, became at 
last so annoying to him, and amusing to every body else, 
that to hide his disgrace, he was forced to remove to a 
distant part of the town. 

xx. 20. — The trees which thou knowest that they 
be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them 
down. 

Formerly when the natives of Eimeo felled trees on the 
mountains, after lopping the branches, they paused, offered 
a prayer to one of their gods for a safe passage, and then 
launched the trunk down the side of the slope ; standing 
in silence, holding their breath, and with their eyes fol- 
lowing its course till it reached the valley. Once when 
Mr Henry, missionary there, was assisting some of his 
people to procure timber for building the brig 'Hawes,' 
having descended from the mountain to refresh himself 
at a brook which ran at the foot of it, he sat down on the 
bank, and was about to drink, but refrained in the instant, 
and removed about two yards off, where access to the 
water seemed more convenient. While drinking there, a 
tree, which had been felled above, came thundering down 
with such velocity and force, as scarcely to have been per- 
ceived by him before it had plunged with the fore end deep 
into the earth, at the very spot from which he had just 
risen. He could not regard his escape as otherwise than 
strikingly providential. 

xxi. 20. — This our son is stubborn and rebellious, 
he will not obey our voice. 

' I well remember,' says a writer on Christian education, 
' being much impressed by a sermon about twenty years 
ago, when I was a young father, in which the preacher 
said, were he to select one word as the most important in 
education, it should be the word obey. My experience 



90 



DEUTERONOMY XXII. 



since has fully convinced me of the justice of the remark. 
Without filial obedience every thing must go wrong. Is 
not a disobedient child guilty of a manifest breach of the 
Fifth Commandment ? And is not a parent, who suffers 
this disobedience to continue, an habitual partaker in his 
child's offence against that commandment ? By the dis- 
obedience of our first parents, sin came into the world ; 
and through the obedience of the second Adam are the 
gates of heaven opened to true believers. The wicked are 
emphatically styled the children of disobedience; and it is 
clearly the object of the Divine plan of salvation to conquer 
the rebellious spirit of man, and to bring him into a state 
of humility and submission. Parental authority is one 
powerful instrument for effecting the change. It is in- 
tended to bend the stubborn will, and, by habituating a 
child to subjection to earthly parents, to prepare him for 
Christian obedience to his heavenly Father. In propor- 
tion as filial obedience is calculated to smooth the way for 
true religion, filial disobedience must produce the opposite 
effect. The parent who habitually gives way to it, has 
appalling reason to apprehend that he is educating his 
child, not for heaven but for hell.' 

xxii. 4. — Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his 
ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them ; 
thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again. 

Mr George Herbert, the poet, when walking to Salis- 
bury, saw a poor man, with a poorer horse, fallen under 
his load. Mr Herbert perceiving this, put off his canonical 
coat, and helped the poor man to unload, and afterwards 
to load his horse. The poor man blessed him for it, and 
he blessed the poor man, and gave him money to refresh 
both himself and his horse ; and told him, ' If he loved 
himself, he should be merciful to his beast.' At his com- 
ing to his musical friends at Salisbury, they began to 
wonder that Mr George Herbert, who used to be so clean, 
came in such a condition ; but he told them the occasion ; 
and when one of the company told him, ' He had dispa- 
raged himself by so dirty an employment,' his answer was, 
* That the thought of what he had done would prove music 
to him at midnight ; and the omission of it would have 
upbraided and made discord in his conscience, whenso- 
ever he should pass by the place.' 



DEUTERONOMY XXV. 



91 



xxiii. 24. — When thou comest into thy neighbour's 
vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine 
own pleasure. 

About twenty years ago, a land-owner of Patudupee, 
about fourteen miles from Calcutta, planted an orchard by 
a public road, placed a person to keep it, and dedicated it 
to the use of travellers of all descriptions, who are per- 
mitted to enter it, and take as much fruit as they can 
eat. 

xxiv. 19. — It shall be for the stranger, for the 
fatherless, and for the widow ; that the Lord thy God 
may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. 

It is said of Sir Matthew Hale, that he frequently in- 
vited his poor neighbours to dinner, and made them sit at 
table with himself. If any of themw^ere sick, so that they 
could not come, he sent provisions to them, warm from his 
own table. He did not confine his bounties to the poor of 
his own parish, but diffused supplies to the neighbouring 
parishes, as occasion required. He always treated the 
old, the needy, and the sick, with the tenderness and 
familiarity that became one who considered they were 
of the same nature with himself, and w r ere reduced to 
no other necessities than such as he himself might be 
brought to. 

xxv. 15. — A perfect and just measure shalt thou 
have. 

A linen merchant in Coleraine, offered Dr Adam Clarke 
a situation in his warehouse, which he accepted with the 

consent of his parents. Mr B knew that his clerk 

and overseer was a religious man, but he was not sensible 
of the depth of the principle which actuated him. Some 
differences arose at times about the way of conducting the 
business, which were settled very amicably. But the time 

of the great Dublin market approached, andMr B was 

busy preparing for it. The master and servant were to- 
gether in the folding- room, when one of the pieces was 
found short of the required number of yards. ' Come,' 

says Mr B , ' it is but a trifle. We shall soon stretch 

it, and make out the yard. Come, Adam, take one end, 
and pull against me.' Adam had neither ears nor heart 
for the proposal, and absolutely refused to touch what he 



92 



DEUTERONOMY XXYII. 



thought an unclean thing. The usages of the trade were 
strongly and variously enforced, but in vain. The young 

man resolved rather to suffer than to sin. Mr B was 

therefore obliged to call one of his men less scrupulous, 
and Adam retired quietly to his desk. Soon after, Mr 

B , in the kindest manner, stated to him, that it was 

very clear he was not fit for worldly business (why not ? if 
any were unfit it must be the merchant himself), and 
wished him to look out for some employment more con- 
genial to his own mind ; adding, that he might depend 
on his friendship in any line of life into which he should 
enter. 

xxvi. 13. — I have brought away the hallowed things 
out of mine house, and also have given them unto the 
Levite. 

' Sir,' said a poor labouring man to a minister in a 
letter, 4 when you preached the missionary sermon last 
year, I was grieved that I had it not in my power to give 
what I wished. I thought and thought, and consulted 
my wife whether there was anything which we could 
spare without stinting the poor children ; but it seemed 
that we lived as near as possible in every respect, and 
had nothing but what was absolutely necessary ? At last 
it came into my mind, Is that fourpence which goes every 
week for an ounce of tobacco absolutely necessary ? I 
had been used to it so long, that I scarcely thought it 
possible to do without it, however I resolved to try ; so, 
instead of spending the fourpence, I dropped it into a box. 
The first week I felt it sorely, but the second week it was 
easier ; and in the course of a few weeks it was little or 
no sacrifice at all ; at least, I can say, that the pleasure 
far outweighed the sacrifice. When my children found 
what I was doing, they wished to contribute also ; and if 
ever they got a penny or halfpenny given them for their 
own pleasure, it was sure to find its way into the box in- 
stead of the cake-shop. On opening the box, I have the 
pleasure to find that our collected pence amounted to one 
pound, which I now enclose, and pray, that the Lord may 
give His blessing with it.' 

xxvii. 24. — Cursed be he that smiteth his neigh- 
bour secretly. 

Some years ago, a man of the name of Cooper died in 



DEUTERONOMY XXIX. 



93 



Gloucestershire. He had long endured great horror of 
mind ; and, about an hour previous to his death, he men- 
tioned the cause of it, which was, that, about forty years 
before, he had assisted another man, of the name of 
Horton (who died two years antecedent to Cooper's 
death), in murdering one Mr Rice, a surveyor of the 
roads, whose body they threw into a well, where it was 
soon after the deed found ; but the murderers were not 
known till now. — How many dreadful secrets will be re- 
vealed at the great day, when the Judge of all shall make 
inquisition for blood. 

xxviii. 66. — Thy life shall hang in doubt before 
thee ; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt 
have none assurance of thy life. 

A gentleman, who was for some years British Consul 
at Tripoli, mentioned some circumstances, which set, in 
a striking light, the state of fear and degradation in which 
the Jews there live. If the Bey has a fear or jealousy of 
any man, he sends some one to put a pistol to his head 
and shoot him. If he happen to be a Christian, remon- 
strance is made by the consul of his nation. The Bey is 
quite ready to give satisfaction ; he sends some one to 
shoot the first agent of his cruelty ; and then, with an air 
of great regret, asks the Consul if he is satisfied ; if not, 
he is ready to give him satisfaction still farther. But if 
the object of his wrath be a Jew, none would think of 
demanding satisfaction for his death. This people feel 
the curse in full, that among the nations where they are 
scattered, they should find no ease, and have none assur- 
rance of their life. They are known by their being com- 
pelled to wear a particular dress, which they sometimes 
change in their houses, on occasion of their merry- 
makings ; but even in these they are not free, the Moors 
exercising the privilege of free ingress at any time. 
When a vessel comes into port, the merchant (a Moham- 
medan) compels every Jew whom he meets by the way, 
to come and help in unlading, carrying, etc. ; nor do they 
dare to resist. 

xxix. 17. — Ye have seen their abominations, and 
their idols, wood and stone. 

In Baitenzorg, a village in the Island of Java, there is 
a street nearly a mile long, inhabited solely by Chinese. 



94 



DEUTERONOMY XXXI. 



Messrs Tyerman and Bennet, the deputation from the 
London Missionary Society, called at several of their 
houses, and found in each an idol of some kind. ' That 
which most surprised us,' say they, 1 was a French en- 
graving of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, in a gilt 
frame, before which incense was burning; and the old 
man, to whom the picture belonged, in our presence paid 
it divine honours, bowing himself in various antic atti- 
tudes, and offering a prayer for blessings on himself and 
family. When we asked him why he worshipped that as 
a god which came from Europe, and not from his own 
country, he frankly replied, " Oh, we worship anything !" 
In this street are two temples, one a decent building un- 
der repair, the other an open shed, on a little mound, con- 
sisting of a slight square roof, supported by four pillars. 
In this sanctuary are several mis-shapen stones, planted 
on their ends, to which prayers are daily made by beings 
(in that respect) as stupid as themselves. A cocoa-nut 
shell was placed in the midst of these blocks, containing 
some small offerings. We visited two other edifices of 
similar construction, and consecrated to gods of the same 
material as these, — namely, rude upright stones, which, 
it seems, the rude Malays worship with no less devotion 
than the shrewd Chinese. 

xxx. 8, 9. — Thou shalt return, and obey the voice of 
the Lord, and do all his commandments : and the 
Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of 
thine hand. 

The late Admiral Colpoys, who rose, by industry, to 
the highest rank and honour in the profession, used to 
be fond of stating, that on first leaving an humble lodg- 
ing to join his ship as a midshipman, his landlady pre- 
sented him with a Bible and a guinea, saying, — i God 
bless and prosper you, my lad : and, as long as you live, 
never suffer yourself to be laughed out of your money 
and your prayers.' This advice the young sailor sedu- 
lously followed through life to his great advantage. 

xxxi. 6. — Be strong, and of a good courage, fear not, 
nor be afraid of them : for the Lord thy God, he it is 
that doth go with thee ; he will not fail thee, nor for- 
sake thee. 



DEUTERONOMY XXXIII. 



Some of the Indian chiefs having become the open 
enemies of the Gospel, Mr Elliot, sometimes called the 
Apostle of the American Indians, when in the wilderness, 
without the company of any other Englishman, was at 
various times treated in a threatening and barbarous 
manner by some of those men, yet his Almighty Pro- 
tector inspired him with such resolution, that he said, — 
* I am about the work of the Great God, and my God is 
with, me : so that I fear neither you, nor all the Sachims 
(or chiefs) in the country. I will go on, and do you 
touch me if you dare.' They heard him, and shrunk away. 

xxxii. 6. — Do ye thus requite the Lord, 0 foolish 
people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath 
bought thee ? Hath he not made thee, and established 
thee? 

A clergyman in Germany, who had exercised the 
ministerial office for twelve years, while destitute of 
faith in, and love to the Eedeemer, one day, after bap- 
tizing the child of a wealthy citizen, one of the members 
of his congregation, was invited, with some other guests, 
to a collation at this person's house. Directly opposite 
to him, on the wall, hung a picture of Christ on the cross, 
with two lines written under it : — 

1 1 did this for thee ; 
What hast thou done for Me ?' 

The picture caught his attention: as he read the lines 
they seemed to pierce him, and he was involuntarily 
seized with a feeling he never experienced before. Tears 
rushed into his eyes : he said little to the company, and 
took his leave as soon as he could. On the way home 
these lines constantly sounded in his ears, — Divine grace 
prevented all philosophical doubts and explanations from 
entering his soul, — he could do nothing but give himself 
up entirely to the overpowering feeling : even during the 
night in his dreams, the question stood always before his 
mind, 4 What hast thou done for Me ?' He died in about 
three months after this remarkable and happy change in 
his temper and views, triumphing in the Saviour, and 
expressing his admiration of His redeeming love. 

xxxiii. 19. — They shall suck of the abundance of the 
seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. 



96 



JOSHUA I. 



Among the hardships experienced by the first settlers 
in North America, they were sometimes greatly distressed 
for food, which led the women and the children to the 
sea-side to look for a ship which they expected with pro- 
visions, but no ship appeared for many weeks : they saw 
in the sand, however, vast quantities of shell-fish, since 
called clams, a species of mussel. Hunger impelled them 
to taste, and at length they fed wholly upon them, and 
were as cheerful and well as they had been before in 
England, enjoying the best provision. It is added, that 
a good man, after they had all dined one day on clams, 
without bread, returned thanks to God for causing them 
to 1 suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures 
hid in the sand.' This text, which they had never before 
observed particularly, was ever after endeared to them. 

xxxiv. 5. — Moses, the servant of the Lord, died 
there, in the land of Moab, according to the word of 
the Lord. 

Mrs Cooper, wife of Mr Cooper, late missionary in 
India, having gone to the Nilgherry hills for the benefit 
of her health, after her arrival, appeared to be consider- 
ably relieved ; but the pleasing hope to which this gave 
rise, was ultimately disappointed. She died July 4, 1831, 
in the hope of a glorious and blessed immortality. c I 
feel I am fast going,' she said, 1 and that in a little while 
all will be over. But, oh ! do not look so overwhelmed. 
When you look on my clay cold cheek, think not of the 
grave and corruption ; but think of me as a redeemed 
saint in glory, and that will support you.' ' Such,' says 
Mr Cooper, ' were her words to me a few nights before 
her peaceful departure from this world to glory ; and I 
have endeavoured to act upon them, and calmly to 
commit her precious remains to the grave, in the assur- 
ance that her spirit rests with God, and her body, as a 
part of the Redeemer's purchase, will be raised in glory, 
when He comes to be glorified in His saints, and admired 
in all them that believe ' 

JOSHUA. 
Chap. i. ver. 7. — Observe to do according to all the 
law which Moses my servant commanded thee : turn 



JOSHUA II. 



97 



not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou 
mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 

Mr Kay, missionary in South Africa, was at one time 
addressing about a hundred and fifty of the natives. 
Having only his English pocket Testament with him, 
from which he usually translated into the vernacular 
tongue of the people, he asked whether any of them was 
able to read ; desiring, at the same time, to know whether 
they were in possession of a Dutch translation of the 
Scriptures, on which a New Testament in that language 
was instantly produced. When he opened it, a small 
pamphlet fell out, w T hich proved to be a copy of an ordi- 
nance issued by the late Lieutenant-Governor, in July 
1828, for the improvement of the condition of the Hot- 
tentots, and other free persons of colour and for con- 
solidating and amending the laws affecting tnose persons, 
agreeably to the recommendations of his Majesty's com- 
missioners of inquiry. This document was carefully in- 
serted between the pages of the sacred volume, 4 Because,' 
said they, ' God's word forms the basis on which all good 
laws are grounded.' 

ii. 7. — The men pursued after them the way to 
Jordan unto the fords. 

Mr Ruggles, one of the American missionaries in the 
South Sea Islands, related the following anecdote respect- 
ing his father, who w T as a minister of the Gospel : — One 
day, while he was preaching, a party of Indians came 
suddenly upon the congregation, scattered them, and car- 
ried him away into the forest. At night he was left 
under the charge of two women, while the men went to 
rest ; but his female keepers, as well as the faithful dogs, 
falling asleep also, he took the opportunity to make his 
escape. He had not fled far before he heard the alarm- 
cry, and the crashing of the bushes behind warned him that 
the enemy were already in close pursuit of him. In his 
distress he crept, with little hope of safety, into a hollow 
tree, at the foot of which there happened to be an opening 
through which he could squeeze his body, and stand up- 
right within. The Indians soon rushed by in full chase, 
without stopping to search his retreat ; and, what is more 
extraordinary, their dogs had previously smelled about 

G 



98 



JOSHUA V. 



the root of the tree, and ran forward without barking, as 
they had discovered nothing. 

iii. 1. — Joshua rose early in the morning. 

Frederick EL, King of Prussia, used to rise early ; and 
he gave strict orders to his attendants never to suffer him 
to sleep longer than four o'clock in the morning, and to 
pay no attention to his unwillingness to rise. One morn- 
ing, at the appointed time, the page whose turn it was to 
attend him, and who had been long in his service, came 
to his bed and awoke him. 1 Let me sleep but a little 
longer,' said the monarch, 4 I am still much fatigued.' 
4 Your majesty has given positive orders I should wake 
you so early,' replied the page. 1 But another quarter of 
an hour more.' 4 Not one minute,' said the page ; ' it 
has struck four ; I am ordered to insist upon your 
majesty's rising.' 'Well,' said the king, 4 you are a 
brave lad ; had you let me sleep on, you would have 
fared ill for your neglect.' 

iv. 21, 22. — When your children shall ask their fa- 
thers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? 
— Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel 
came over this Jordan on dry land. 

The secretary of the American Education Society, 
visiting Dr Payson, shortly before his death, asked for a 
message which he might carry from him to beneficiaries, 
when he received the following impromptu : — i What if 
God should place in your hand a diamond, and tell you 
to inscribe on it a sentence which should be read at the 
last day, and shown there as an index of your own 
thoughts and feelings, what care, what caution would you 
exercise in the selection ! Now, this is what God has 
done. He has placed before you immortal minds, more 
imperishable than the diamond, on which you are about 
to inscribe every day and every hour, by your instruc- 
tions, by your spirit, or by your example, something which 
will remain and be exhibited for or against you at the 
judgment day.' 

v. 13. — Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? 

A plain, honest Christian, on being called by a profli- 
gate worldling, 1 a Methodist,' replied, ' Sir, whether you 
are aware of it or not, you are equally a Methodist with 



JOSHUA VIII. 



99 



myself/ 4 How? how?' rejoined the scoffer, with many 
oaths. 4 Pray, be calm,' said the other, 4 there are but 
two methods, the method of salvation, and the method of 
damnation ; in one of these you certainly are ; in which 
I leave with you to decide.' The scoffer was silenced. 

vi. 18. — In any wise keep yourselves from the ac- 
cursed thing. 

Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, who died in the 
beginning of the twelfth century, said, 4 If I should see 
the shame of sin on the one hand, and the pain of hell on 
the other, and must of necessity, choose one, I would 
rather be thrust into hell without sin, than go into hea- 
ven with sin.' 

vii. 21. — When I saw among the spoils a goodly 
Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, 
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I 
coveted them, and took them. 

4 As I stood one day by Mr Jeffreys,' says Mrs Jeffreys 
in her J ournal, 4 catechising the children, I asked them 
which of the commandments was most difficult to ob- 
serve? One, after a long pause, mentioned one, and 
another a different precept ; till, at last, a boy about twelve 
years old, said, " The last is the hardest." Mr Jeffreys 
said, 44 Why is it so, my boy?" He replied, 44 Because, 
for one who is poor, to see another possessing a great deal 
of money, a great deal of clothes, and much cattle and 
rice, without wishing for some of them, is very hard ; I 
think no person can keep this commandment." ' 

viii. 35. — There was not a word of all that Moses 
commanded which Joshua read not before all the 
congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little 
ones, and the strangers that were conversant among 
them. 

Queen Elizabeth, on the morning of her coronation, 
agreeably to the custom of releasing prisoners at the in- 
auguration of a prince, went to the chapel ; and, in the 
great chamber, one of her courtiers, who was well known 
to her, presented her with a petition, and before a number 
of courtiers, besought her, — That now, this good time, 
there might be four or five principal prisoners more re- 



100 



JOSHUA X. 



leased ; those were the four evangelists and the apostle 
Paul, who had been long shut up in an unknown tongue^ 
as it were in prison, so that they could not converse with 
the common people.' The Queen answered very gravely, 
' That it was best first to inquire of them whether they 
would be released or no.' 

ix. 19. — The princes said unto all the congregation, 
We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel : 
now therefore we may not touch them. 

John, King of France, left in England two of his sons as 
hostages for the payment of his ransom. One of them, 
the Duke of Anjou, tired of his confinement in the tower 
of London, escaped to France. His father, more gene- 
rous, proposed instantly to take his place ; and when the 
principal officers of his court remonstrated against his 
taking that honourable but dangerous measure, he told 
them, i Why, I myself was permitted to come out of the 
same prison in which my son was, in consequence of the 
treaty of Bretagne, which he has violated by his flight. I 
hold myself not a free man at present, I fly to my prison. 
I am engaged to do it by my word ; and if honour were 
banished from all the world, it should have an asylum 
in the breast of kings.' The magnanimous monarch ac- 
cordingly proceeded to England, and became the second 
time a prisoner in the tower of London, where he died in 
1384. 

x. 11. — The Lord cast down great stones from hea- 
ven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were 
more which died with hail-stones than they whom the 
children of Israel slew with the sword. 

Albertus Aquensis relates, that when Baldwin I. in the 
time of the Crusades, was with his army in the moun- 
tains of Arabia, beyond the Dead Sea, they had to en- 
counter the greatest dangers, from a horrible hail, ter- 
rible ice, unheard of rain and snow, which were such 
that thirty of the foot died of cold — ' Something of this 
kind, I presume,' adds Harmer, ' the Canaanites suffered 
in their flight from Joshua, in a mountainous part of 
Judea. But it must have been much more destructive to 
people that were fleeing before their enemies than to those 
Albertus mentions ; as they doubtless had thrown away 



JOSHUA XIII. 



101 



their clothes in part for the sake of expedition, dared not 
stop for shelter, and were mning along in a mountainous 
place, among precipices.' 

xi. 6. — The Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid 
because of them ; for to-morrow, about this time, will 
I deliver them up all slain before Israel. 

During the awful moments of preparation for the battle 
of Camperdown, Admiral Duncan called all his officers 
upon deck, and in their presence, prostrated himself in 
prayer before the Lord of Hosts, committing himself and 
them, with the cause they maintained, to His sovereign 
protection, his family to His care, his soul and body to the 
disposal of His providence. Eising then from his knees, 
he gave command to make an attack, and achieved one 
of the most splendid victories in the annals of England. 

xii. 4. — Og was of the remnant of the giants. 
Ferdinand Magellan, when wintering with his crew in 

St Stephen's Bay, on the coast of Patagonia, South Ame- 
rica, is said, one day, to have seen approaching a man of 
great stature, dancing and singing, and putting dust upon 
his head, as they supposed in token of peace. This over- 
ture for friendship was, by Magellan's command, quickly 
answered by the rest of his men ; and the giant approach- 
ing, testified every mark of astonishment and surprise. 
His face was broad, his colour brown and painted over 
with a variety of tints ; each cheek had the resemblance 
of a heart drawn upon it ; his hair was approaching to 
whiteness ; he was clothed in skins, and armed with a 
bow. Being treated with kindness, and dismissed with 
some trifling presents, he soon returned with many more 
of the same stature ; two of whom the mariners decoyed 
on board. Nothing could be more gentle than they were 
in the beginning ; they considered the fetters they were 
preparing for them as ornaments, and played with them 
like children with their toys : but when they found for 
what purpose they were intended, they instantly exerted 
their amazing strength, and broke them in pieces with a 
very easy effort. 

xiii. 1. — Thou art old and stricken in years, and 
there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. 

When Mr John Elliot, from advanced age and infirmi- 



102 



JOSHUA XVI. 



ties, was laid aside from his former employments, lie 
sometimes said, with an air peculiar to himself. 1 1 won- 
der for what the Lord J esus lets me live. He knows that 
now I can do nothing for Him/ — Speaking of his labours 
among the American Indians, he expressed himself thus : — 
1 There is a clond. a dark cloud, on the work of the gospel 
among the poor Indians. The Lord revive and prosper 
that work, and grant that it may live when I am dead. 
It is a work which I have been doing much about. But 
what have I said ? I recal that word. My doings ! Alas! 
they have been poor, and small, and I will be the man that 
shall throw the first stone at them/ He died in 1690, 
aged eighty- six. 

xiv. 8. — I wholly followed the Lord my G: 1. 

Mr Charles, an eminently pious minister at Bala, hav- 
ing previously spoken of ; the single eye,' which we should 
possess in all our concerns and proceedings, thus writes 
respecting a party who were going to emigrate from North 
Wales to America: ; I hope that those you hinted at as 
intending to emigrate to America, possess this single eye. 
It will be of more use to them in steering their course 
across the Atlantic than the polar star ; and without it 
they had better eat barley-bread, or oaten cakes on the 
barren rocks in TVales.' 

xv. 18. — Achsah lighted off her ass ; and Calet - 
unto her. What wouldst thou? 

1 The alighting of those that ride.' says Harmer, 4 is 
considered in the East as an expression of deep respect; 
so Dr Pococke tells us, that they are wont to descend from 
their asses in Egypt, when they come near some tombs 
there, and that Christians and Jews are obliged to sub- 
mit to this. So Hasselquist tells Linnaeus, in one of his 
letters to him, that Christians were obliged to alight 
from their asses in Egypt when they met with com- 
manders of the soldiers there. This he complains of as 
a bitter indignity : but they that received the compliment, 
without doubt, required it as a most pleasing piece of 
respect/ 

xvi. 10. — They drave not out the Cana&nites that 
dwelt in Gezer. 



JOSHUA XVIII. 



103 



When the Romans, under Agricola, first carried their 
arms into the northern parts of Britain, they found it pos- 
sessed by the Caledonians, a fierce and warlike people. 
Notwithstanding every exertion, the Romans were never 
able to conquer these Caledonians ; they only retained, 
for a short time, small portions of their territories, which 
they occasionally invaded. The most northern boundary 
of the Roman Empire in Scotland, was a wall which the 
Emperor Severus erected between the Friths of Forth 
and Clyde ; but this boundary the bravery of the Cale- 
donians did not permit them long to preserve. At a sub- 
sequent period, Adrian, Emperor of the Romans, in order 
to preserve his conquests, erected a second wall between 
Newcastle and Carlisle, which became the boundary of 
his empire ; and the country between these two walls was 
possessed alternately by the Romans and Caledonians. 

xvii. 14. — I am a great people, forasmuch as the 
Lord hath blessed me hitherto. 

From the rapidity with which the population of the 
United States of America has hitherto increased, and is 
diffusing itself over the wide and fertile continent of 
which it is in possession, the most magnificent anticipa- 
tions are formed by the Americans themselves of the 
future greatness of their nation. ' Let us assume,' say 
they, 'what appears highly probable, that the people of 
the United States will ultimately spread themselves over 
the whole North American continent west of the Missis- 
sippi, between the parallels 30° and 49°, and as far as the 
Pacific Ocean. This will be found to add 1,800,000 
square miles to the territory east of the Mississippi ; and, 
putting both together, the area of the Linked States thus 
enlarged, will be 2,700,000 square miles. A surface of 
such extent, if peopled to the density of Massachusetts, 
would contain two hundred millions ; or, if peopled to the 
density of Great Britain and Ireland, four hundred and 
thirty millions. If the population of the United States 
continue to multiply in the same proportion as hitherto, 
it is demonstrable that the two hundred millions, neces- 
sary to people this vast territory, will be produced within 
a century.' 

xviii. 3. — How long are ye slack to go to possess the 
land. 



104 



JOSHUA XX. 



1 In an affair of the highest consequence,' says Mr Her- 
vey, in one of his letters, 'how negligent is the commu- 
nity ; I mean, in the long expected reformation of the 
liturgy, in which, excellent as it is on the whole, there 
are some passages so justly exceptionable, that every 
bishop in the kindom will tell you he wishes to have them 
expunged ; and yet, I know not for what political or 
timid reasons, it continues just as it did. Had our first 
reformers been thus indolent, we still had been Papists.' 

xix. 29. — The strong city Tyre. 

The destruction of old Tyre, which was situated on the 
continent of Phoenicia, by Nebuchadnezzar, King of 
Babylon — the dispersion of the inhabitants, and their 
flight by sea into other regions — the subsequent restora- 
tion of its commerce and wealth in that part of the city, 
or New Tyre, which was built on an island half a mile 
distant from the shore — the siege and destruction of this 
latter by Alexander the Great — the casting of the stones, 
and timber, and dust — the ruins of the old or continental 
city, into the water ; — yea, the scraping of her dust from 
off her, which were done by that conqueror, in forming a 
mound from the shore to the island in carrying on the 
siege of the new city — the smiting of the power of this 
latter in the sea by her capture, and the annihilation of 
her commerce — the burning of the city — the slaughter of 
many of her inhabitants — and the selling of others into 
captivity, form the most prominent historical facts rela- 
tive to Tyre, and are each the fulfilment of a prophecy. 
The destruction of the first by Nebuchadnezzar and the 
Chaldeans, took place in the year 573 before Christ ; the 
insular city began to flourish 70 years after, and its siege 
and capture took place 330 years before the birth of the 
Saviour. 

xx. 3. — The slayer that killeth any person unawares, 
and unwittingly, may flee thither. 

While William II., surnamed Kufus, was hunting in 
the New Porest, Hampshire, he was shot by an arrow 
that Sir Walter Tyrrel discharged at a deer, which, glanc- 
ing from a tree, struck the King to the heart. He dropped 
dead instantly ; while the innocent author of his death, 
terrified at the accident, put spurs to his horse, hastened 



JOSHUA XXIII. 



105 



to the seashore, embarked for France, and joined the 
Crusade that was then setting out for Jerusalem. 

xxi. 45. — There failed not aught of any good thing 
which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel : 
all came to pass. 

Mr Cecil, during a severe illness, said to a person who 
spoke of it, 'It is all Christ. I keep death in view. If 
God does not please to raise me up, He intends me bet- 
ter. " I know whom I have believed." How little do 
we think of improving the time while we have opportu- 
tunity ! I find everything but religion only vanity. To 
recollect a promise of the Bible : this is substance ! No- 
thing will do but the Bible. If I read authors, and hear 
different opinions, I cannot say this is truth ! I cannot 
grasp it as substance ; but the Bible gives me something 
to hold. I have learned more within these curtains, than 
from all the books I ever read.' 

xxii. 8. — Return with much riches unto your tents, 
and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, 
and with brass, and with iron, and with very much 
raiment : divide the spoil of your enemies with your 
brethren. 

In September 1801, W. T. M., Esq., departed this life; 
and, dying without a will, his large property, w r hich was 
chiefly landed estate, devolved to his eldest son. By this 
circumstance, the eight younger children were unpro- 
vided for ; but this gentleman, with a generosity seldom 
equalled, but which does honour to Christianity, immedi- 
ately made over to his younger brother and sisters three 
considerable estates (it is said of the value of ten thou- 
sand pounds), which w r ere about two-thirds of the whole 
property. This munificence is the more extraordinary, 
as he had a young and increasing family of his own. On 
a friend's remonstrating with him on his conduct, his 
answer was, ' I have enough ; and am determined that 
all my brothers and sisters shall be satisfied/ 

xxiii. 12, 13. — If ye make marriages with them — 
they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges 
in your sides, and thorns in your eyes. 

The Rev. S. Kilpin of Exeter had been preaching on 



106 



JOSHUA XXIY. 



the subject of marriage, and pointing out the evil of im- 
proper connections. A gentleman called on him next 
day to thank him for the discourse, adding, that his state 
of mind when he entered Exeter was most distressing, 
as he was on the very point of complying with a dreadful 
temptation, which would have embittered his future life. 
He had been a disciple of Christ, and was anxious to 
consecrate his life to the service of his adorable Master, 
and had sought a helpmeet to strengthen his hands in 
serving God. A lady, whom he deemed pious, had ac- 
cepted his addresses ; but, when every customary arrange- 
ment was made, she had dishonourably discarded him. 
His mind was so exceedingly wounded and disgusted, 
that he had determined to choose a wife who made no 
profession of religion, and had fixed on another object 
for his addresses, with every prospect of success, although 
he had not as yet mentioned his intention to her. He 
added, 4 But the providence of God led me, an entire 
stranger, to this city, to your meeting-house. You may 
suppose that your subject arrested my attention. You 
appeared to be acquainted with every feeling of my soul. 
I saw my danger, and perceived the temptation, and the 
certain ruin of my peace if the dreadful snare had not 
been broken. You, Sir, under God, have been my de- 
liverer. By the next Sabbath I should have been bound 
in honour to an enemy of that Saviour whom I adore ; 
for although she is moral, and externally correct, yet she 
knows not the Saviour but by name. I could not leave 
the city in peace until I had sought to make this com- 
munication.' 

xxiv. 13. — Of the vineyards and olive- yards which 
ye planted not do ye eat. 

A very poor and aged man, busied in planting and 
grafting an apple- tree, was rudely interrupted by this in- 
terrogation : — 4 Why do you plant trees, who cannot hope 
to eat the fruit of them?' He raised himself up, and, 
leaning upon his spade, replied, 4 Some one planted trees 
before I was born, and I have eaten the fruit ; I now 
plant for others, that the memorial of my gratitude may 
exist when I am dead and gone.' 



JUDGES II. 



107 



JUDGES. 

Chap i. ver. 7. — Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and 
ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes 
cut off, gathered their meat under my table : as I have 
done, so God hath requited me. 

The history of a respected citizen of the town of A ■ 

is remarkable, on account of his seven sons, who, though 
not otherwise deformed, were quite dumb. The father 
was constantly sorrowing over his sons, and could not 
comprehend why God visited him so dreadfully, more 
than other fathers. One day he accompanied them to a 
neighbouring farm, where an old Swiss sold refreshments. 
The afflicted father looked with much feeling at his sons, 
who sat blooming and healthy round the table. The 
tears started in his eyes, and he exclaimed, ' O God ! 
why have I deserved this ?' The old Swiss, who had over- 
heard him, drew him on one side, and said, with honesty, 
4 I see you are downcast at the affliction of your sons ; 
but I do not wonder at it. Do you not remember (I 
knew you from your youth), when a boy, how you laid 
snares for the birds, and when caught, tore their tongues 
out of their mouths, and then with malignant joy let them 
fly again ? How often have I not warned you ? Oh, 
the birds under the heavens, who could not praise God 
with their tongues, have accused you, and you shall 
never hear the sweet name of father from the lips of your 
children.' 

ii. 2. — Ye shall make no league with the inhabitants 
of this land. 

On one occasion, the late Mr Hall of Bristol having 
mentioned, in terms of panegyric, Dr Priestly, who was 
eminent in scientific attainments, but deeply imbued with 
Socinian principles, a gentleman who held Dr. P.'s theo- 
logical opinions, tapping him on the shoulder, said, 1 Ah, 
Sir, we shall have you among us soon, I see.' Mr Hall 
started, and, offended by the tone in which this was 
uttered, hastily replied, 4 Me amongst you, Sir ! me 
amongst you ! Why, if that were the case, I should de- 
serve to be tied to the tail of the great red dragon, and 
whipped round the nethermost regions to all eternity.' 



108 



JUDGES VI. 



iii. 17. — Eglon was a very fat man. 

6 The most common cause of fatness,' says Dr Arbuth- 
not, 4 is too great a quantity of food, and too small a 
quantity of motion ; in plain English, gluttony and lazi- 
ness. I am of opinion, that spare diet and labour will 
keep constitutions, where this disposition is strongest, 
from being fat. You may see in an army forty thousand 
foot soldiers without a fat man amongst them, and I dare 
affirm that, by plenty and rest, twenty of the forty would 
grow fat.' 

iv. 20. — Sisera said unto her, Stand in the door of 
the tent ; and it shall be, when any man doth come and 
inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that 
thou shalt say, No. 

Bishop Atterbury was once addressed by one of his 
right reverend coadjutors to the following effect : — 'My 
Lord, why will you not suffer your servants to deny you, 
when you do not care to see company ? It is not a lie 
for them to say, your lordship is not at home, for it 
deceives no one ; everybody knowing it means only your 
lordship is busy.' He replied, ' My Lords, if it is, which 
I doubt, consistent with sincerity, yet I am sure it is not 
consistent with that sincerity which becomes a Christian 
bishop.' 

v. 14. — Out of Zebulun came they that handle the 
pen of the writer. 

One night, in the year 1745, when the rebels were ex- 
pected to make an attack on the town of Stirling, the 
Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, minister there, presented himself 
in the guard-room, fully accoutred in the military garb 
of the times. Two literary gentlemen of the place hap- 
pened to be on guard the same night, and, surprised 
to see the venerable clergyman in this attire, recom- 
mended to him to go home to his prayers, as more suit- 
able to his vocation. ' I am determined,' was his reply, 
' to take the hazard of the night along with you ; for the 
present crisis requires the arms as well as the prayers of 
all good subjects.' He remained with them, accordingly, 
all that night ; but no formal attack was then made. 

vi. 31. — If be be a god, let him plead for himself, be- 
cause one hath cast down his altar. 



JUDGES VII. 



109 



A chief in Tahiti, one of the South Sea Islands, in- 
formed Messrs Tyerman and Bennet, that when Pomare, 
the king, abjured heathenism, he ordered the chief to take 
an axe and chop his gods to pieces. Though exceedingly 
terrified with the anticipation of the consequences, should 
they resist and retaliate, as the priests threatened, he 
nevertheless determined to put their divinity to the proof, 
and with a trembling hand began the work, when, no 
evil following, he completed it with all his might. After 
the last decisive battle, Pomare commanded his people 
to go to the great marae, or temple, at Taiarabu, and 
fetch out Oro (the god of war), and commit him, together 
with all the rabble of blocks that occupied his chamber 
of imagery, to the flames. This was a perilous enter- 
prise ; a few bold spirits, however, were found to attempt 
it. These marched to the marae, but, instead of enter- 
ing, fired into the house where the idols were kept, say- 
ing, 'Now, ye gods, if ye be gods, and have any power, 
come forth and avenge the insults which we offer you/ 
The multitude, who had assembled to witness the sacri- 
lege, stood amazed — not less at the impotence of the 
deities, than the rashness of the assailants. The house 
was afterwards pulled down, when the wooden inhabitants 
were shot through and through, and then burnt to ashes. 

vii. 13. — When Gideon was come, behold, there was 
a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Be- 
hold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley 
bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto 
a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that 
the tent lay along. 

A person in Southampton, who was a stone-mason, and 
who had purchased an old building for the materials, pre- 
vious to his pulling it down, came to Mr "Watts (father 
of the celebrated Dr Watts), under some uneasiness, in 
consequence of having dreamed that a large stone in the 
centre of an arch fell upon him and killed him. On ask- 
ing Mr Watts his opinion in the case, he answered him to 
this effect : — 1 1 am not for paying any great regard to 
dreams, nor yet for utterly slighting them. If there is 
such a stone in the building as you saw in your dream 
(which he told him there really was), my advice to you 
is, that you take great care, in taking down the building, 



110 



JUDGES IX. 



to keep far off from it.' The mason resolved that he 
would ; but having forgot his dream, he went too near 
this stone, and it actually fell upon him, and crushed him 
to death. 

viii. 2, 3. — Gideon said unto them, What have I 
done now in comparison of you ? etc. Then their anger 
was abated toward him when he had said that. 

The late Lord Bottetourt, in passing through Glouces- 
ter, soon after the cider-tax, in which he had taken a part 
that was not very popular in that county, observed him- 
self burning in effigy in one of the streets in that city. 
He stopped his coach, and giving a purse of guineas to 
the mob that surrounded the fire, said, 'Pray, gentlemen, 
if you will burn me, at least do me the favour to burn me 
like a gentleman. Do not let me linger ; I see that you 
have not faggots enough.' This good -humoured and 
ready speech appeased the fury of the people immedi- 
ately, and they gave him three cheers, and permitted him 
to proceed quietly on his journey. 

ix. 13. — The vine said unto them, Should I leave my 
wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be pro- 
moted over the trees? 

The witty Earl of Eochester being once in company 
with King Charles II., his Queen, chaplain, and some 
ministers of state, after they had been discoursing on pub- 
lic business, the King, of a sudden, exclaimed, 4 Let our 
thoughts be unbended from the cares of State, and give 
us a generous glass of wine, that cheereth, as the Scrip- 
ture saith, both God and man.' The Queen, hearing 
this, said, she thought there could be no such text in 
Scripture, and the idea was little less than blasphemy. 
The King replied that he was not prepared to turn to 
chapter and verse, but he was sure he had met with it in 
his Scripture reading. The chaplain being appealed to, 
was of the same opinion with the Queen. Rochester, 
suspecting the King to be right, slipt out of the room to 
inquire if any of the servants were conversant with the 
Bible. They mentioned David, the Scotch cook, who 
always carried a Bible about with him; and being called, 
David recollected the text, and where to find it. Roches- 
ter ordered him to be in waiting, and returned to the 



JUDGES XI. 



Ill 



King. The company still conversing on the same subject, 
Bochester proposed calling in David, who, he said, was 
acquainted with the Scriptures. David appeared, and 
being asked the question, produced his Bible, and read 
the text. The King smiled, the Queen asked pardon, and 
the chaplain blushed. The chaplain declining, David 
was applied to for an exposition of the text. ' How much 
wine cheereth man,' David remarked, 'your Lordship 
knows ; and that it cheereth God, I beg leave to say, that, 
under the Old Testament dispensation, there were meat- 
offerings and drink-offerings. The latter consisted of 
wine, which was typical of the blood of the Mediator ; 
that, by a metaphor, was said to cheer God, as He was 
well pleased in the way of salvation He had appointed ; 
whereby His justice was satisfied, His law was fulfilled, 
His mercy reigned, His grace triumphed, all the Divine 
perfections harmonised, the sinner was saved, and God in 
Christ glorified.' 

x. 16. — They put away the strange gods from among 
them. 

One of the deacons in the church at Eimeo is also a 
chief and judge of the island, and, both in his official 
and private character, is venerated by his people, and re- 
garded by the missionaries, who bear testimony, that by 
his uniform Christian demeanour, he has hitherto adorned 
that Gospel, which he was the first in Eimeo publicly to 
confess, by throwing his idols into the flames. This he 
did in the presence of his countrymen, who stood shud- 
dering at his hardihood, and expecting that the evil spirits, 
to whom the senseless stocks were dedicated, would strike 
him dead on the spot for the profanation. He remained 
unharmed, however, and it was not long before other 
chiefs followed his example ; and the people joining in with 
them, the temples, the altars, the images of Satan were 
universally overthrown, and, in various instances, the 
churches of the true God have been erected on the very 
sites of the demolished temples of heathenism. 

xi. 35. — I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and 
I cannot go back. 

His Majesty George III., while the Catholic question 
was under consideration, being very much pressed by one of 
his ministers to assent to the total removal of the restric- 



112 



JUDGES XIV. 



tions under which the Catholics lav, with great firmness 
replied, ' My Lord, if it will be for the good of my people, 
I will descend to live in a humble cottage ; if it will be 
for the good of the country, I will lay my head upon the 
block ; but I cannot forswear myself, by going contrary to 
the oath I took at my coronation.' 

xii. 4. — The men of G-ilead smote Ephraim, because 
they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives. 

A negro, who was servant to an officer on board a 
seventy-four gun ship, was observed to be often alone, and 
was asked why he shut himself up so much. He said the 
boys of the chip mocked him because he was a negro, and 
he' was afraid he should be tempted to be in a passion 
with them. 

xiii. 4. — Drink not wine nor strong drink. 

A gentleman, of the most amiable dispositions, had con- 
tracted confirmed habits of intemperance. His friends 
persuaded him to come under a written engagement, that 
he would not drink, except moderately, in his own house, 
or the house of a friend. In a few days he was brought 
home in a state of bestial intoxication. His apology to a 
gentleman, a short time after, was, that had the engage- 
ment allowed no intoxicating liquor whatever, he was 
safe ; 1 but if,' said he, ' I take the half-full of a thimble, 
I have no power over myself at all.' He has practised 
entire abstinence since, and is strong and well. 

xiv. 6. — He rent the lion as he would have rent a 
kid, and he had nothing in his hand; but he told not 
his father nor his mother what he had done. 

c On a visit to London,' says the Eev. J. Campbell, in a 
letter to a minister, ' I was expressing a great desire to 
see the late Mr Charles, of Bala, with whom I had cor- 
responded for three years concerning a remarkable re- 
vival which had taken place under his ministry. Mr C. 
happening to be in town at the same time, your father 
kindly took me to Lady Ann Erskine's, where he resided. 
We spent there two happy hours. Your father requested 
Mr C. to favour us with a brief outline of the circum- 
stances which led to the remarkable revival at Bala, and 
its surrounding region, its progress, etc. He did so for 



JUDGES XVI. 



113 



upwards of an hour. On our leading him, your father 
said, " Did you not observe the wonderful humility of 
Mr C. in the narrative he gaye ? Never haying once 
mentioned himself, though he was the chief actor and in- 
strument in the whole matter."' 

xv. 8. — He went down and dwelt in the top of the 
rock Etatn. 

When the Grand Seignior ordered the Bashaw of Da- 
mascus to make the Emir Faccardine a prisoner, the latter 
shut himself up in the hollow of a great rock, with a 
small number of his officers, where the Bashaw besieged 
him some months, and was on the point of blowing up 
the rock, when the Emir surrendered on conditions, 
J 634. 'A lively comment, I have always thought this,' 
adds Harmer in his " Observations," £ on Samson's retir- 
ing, after various exploits against the Philistines, to the 
top of the rock Etam ; and on his surrendering himself 
afterwards into the hands of the men of Judah, sent by 
the Philistines to take him.' 

xvi. 27. — All the lords of the Philistines were there : 
and there were upon the roof about three thousand men 
and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. 

Improper and cruel amusements are often attended 
with danger ; and the end of such mirth is heaviness. 
Some years ago, at the termination of a fair, annually 
held at Rochdale, in Lancashire, it was determined to bait 
a bull for the gratification of a great number of persons, 
whose tastes were as savage as their amusement was cruel ; 
and, accordingly, the poor beast was tied to a stake at 
the edge of the river, near the bridge. The radius of the 
cord was about six yards, and the animal, in making the 
circle, was frequently three feet deep in water. The 
crowd collected to witness this sight was great, and the 
number of people on and near the bridge made it difficult 
to pass ; the sides of the river were also thronged with 
spectators of every age and sex, and many were seen near 
the bull up to their middle in water, jumping with ecstasy 
at the sport. At every revolution the animal made to 
disengage himself from the dogs, people were seen tum- 
bling over each other in mud and water up to the knees, 
and the shouts of joy occasionally expressed, could only 

ii 



114 



JUDGES XVII. 



have been equalled by the yell of savages. This sport 
continued for about three hours, when a considerable por- 
tion of the parapet wall leading to the bridge gave way, 
from the extreme pressure of the crowd, and five persons 
were killed on the spot. Other four persons died shortly 
afterwards of the wounds they received, making nine in 
all who lost their lives, besides a considerable number 
who were severely wounded. The stones being large, 
they fell with overwhelming weight ; and from the pressure 
of the crowd near the wall, numbers of the spectators 
were precipitated along with the stones on the people be- 
low. One woman had her thighs broken, and a young 
man had his arm completely cut from his body, besides 
others who were severely bruised. May not the calamity 
be regarded as a token of God's displeasure against such 
wanton cruelty ? 

xvii. 4. — He restored the money unto his mother. 

Some years ago, a gentleman residing in the vicinity of 
York received an anonymous letter, appointing a meeting 
in the oat-market, when, as the letter stated, something 
would be communicated for his advantage. The gentle- 
man kept the appointment, and was accosted by a re- 
spectable looking man, who proposed that they should go 
to an inn together. The gentleman consented ; and hav- 
ing entered a private room, they both sat down at a table, 
when the stranger presented his new friend with £60, 
which he said was his property. The gentleman refused 
to take it without an explanation ; but the stranger then 
presented him with £60 more, and said that was also due 
besides, as interest of the money (simple and compound) 
during the time he held his property. He afterwards 
gave the following explanation to the gentleman: — 
4 More than twenty years ago, you had an uncle, whose 
property you now possess ; his age and infirmities ren- 
dered it expedient for him to have a housekeeper to 
manage his affairs. My sister was that housekeeper. 
Some time after his death she found £60 folded up in one 
of her trunks, which she believed to have belonged to 
him at the time of his death. She sent for me, gave it 
into my hands, and requested that I would restore it to 
you as the lawful heir of her master's property. This I 
promised to do : but being embarrassed in my circum- 
stances at the time, I made use of it for my own purposes. 



JUDGES XIX. 



115 



Years have passed away, and I have prospered in busi- 
ness, till I am now able to make the proper restitution. 
I do it to the utmost, and with pleasure ; and I do assure 
you that this transaction has taken a very heavy weight 
from my distressed mind.' Various circumstances then 
recurred to the gentleman's mind, which left no doubt of 
the stranger's story. 

xviii. 7. — The people dwelt careless — and there was 
no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame 
in any thing. 

The good effect of magistracy, and of a system of labour 
in prison, will appear by the following anecdote : — ' I have 
heard,' says the celebrated Howard, 1 that a countryman 
of ours, who was a prisoner in the Easp House at Amster- 
dam several years, was permitted to work at his own 
trade, shoemaking, and by being constantly kept em- 
ployed, was quite cured of the vices that were the cause 
of his confinement. My informant added, that the 
prisoner received at his release a surplus of his earnings, 
which enabled him to set up his trade in London, where 
he lived in credit ; and at dinner commonly drank, 
" Health to his worthy masters at the Easp House at 
Amsterdam." ' 

xix. 20, 21. — The old man said, Peace be with thee ; 
howsoever, let all thy wants lie upon me ; only lodge not 
in the street. So he brought him into his house, and 
gave provender unto the asses ; and they washed their 
feet, and did eat and drink. 

The lamented Mungo Park, when suffering under the 
pangs of hunger, rode up to the Dooty's house, in a Foulah 
village, but was denied admittance ; nor could he even 
obtain a handful of corn either for himself or his horse. 
'Turning,' says he, 'from this inhospitable door, I rode 
slowly oat of the town ; and perceiving some low Scot- 
land huts without the walls, I directed my steps towards 
them, knowing that in Africa, as well as in Europe, hos- 
pitality does not always prefer the highest dwellings. At 
the door of one of these huts, an old motherly-looking 
woman sat spinning cotton. I made signs to her that I 
was hungry, and inquired if she had any victuals with her 



116 



JUDGES XXI. 



in the hut. She immediately laid down her distaff, and 
desired me, in Arabic, to come in. "When I had seated 
myself on the floor, she set before me a dish of kouskous 
that had been left the preceding night, of which I made 
a tolerable meal ; and, in return for this kindness, I gave 
her one of my pocket handkerchiefs, begging, at the same 
time, a little corn for my horse, which she readily brought 
me. Overcome with joy at so unexpected a deliverance, 
I lifted up my eyes to heaven ; and, whilst my heart 
swelled with gratitude, I returned thanks to that gracious 
and bountiful Being, whose power had supported me 
under so many dangers, and had now spread for me a 
table in the wilderness.' 

xx. I. — All the children of Israel went out, and the 
congregation was gathered together as one man, from 
Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, unto 
the Lord in Mizpeh. 

Harmer has the following quotation from Pocock's 
Travels, which he seems to consider as the remains of 
ancient Eastern usages, and illustrative of the preceding 
passage : — ' Near Cairo, beyond the mosque of Sheikh 
Duise, and in the neighbourhood of a burial-place of the 
sons of some Pashas, on the hill, is a solid building of 
stone, about three feet wide, built with ten steps, being 
at the top about three feet square, on which the Sheikh 
mounts to pray on any extraordinary occasion, when all 
the people go out, as at the beginning of a war ; and 
here in Egypt, when the Nile does not rise as they ex- 
pect it should ; and such a place they have without all 
the towns throughout Turkey. 5 

xxi. 25. — In those days there was no king in Israel: 
every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Selden, in his book entitled ' Table Talk,' in the article 
1 King,' says, 1 A King is a thing which men have made for 
their own sakes, for quietness' sake, just as in a family 
one man is appointed to buy the meat. If every man 
buy what the other liked not, or what the other bought 
before, there would be confusion. But that charge being 
committed to one, he, according to his discretion, pleases 
all. If they have not what they would have one day, 
they shall have it the next, or something as good.' 



RUTH II. 



117 



RUTH. 

Chap. i. ver. 16, 17. — Ruth said, Intreat me not to 
leave thee, or to return from following after thee : for 
whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou lodgest, 
I will lodge. — The Lord do so to me, and more also, 
if ought but death part thee and me. 

M. Delleglaie being ordered from a dungeon at Lyons 
to the Conciergerie, departed thither. His daughter, who 
had not quitted him, asked to be admitted into the same 
vehicle, but w r as refused. The heart, however, knows no 
obstacles ; though she was of a very delicate constitution, 
she performed the j ourney on foot. She followed for more 
than a hundred leagues the carriage in which her father 
was drawn, and only left it to go into some town and pre- 
pare his food ; and in the evening, to procure some cover- 
ing to facilitate his repose in the different dungeons which 
received him. She ceased not for a moment to accom- 
pany him, and watch over his w r ants, till the Conciergerie 
separated them. Accustomed to brave jailors, she did 
not despair of disarming oppressors. During three months, 
she every morning implored the most influential members 
of the Committee of Public Safety, and finished, by over- 
coming their refusals. She conducted her father to Lyons, 
happy at having rescued him ; but she was not permitted 
to enjoy her work here below. Overcome by the excess 
of fatigue she had undergone, she was taken ill on the 
road and died. 

ii. 11, 12. — It hath fully been showed me all that 
thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law. — The Lord 
recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee 
of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art 
come to trust. 

A female servant, who was past the prime of life, in an 
inferior station, but much respected for her piety and in- 
tegrity, had saved a little money from her w r ages, which, 
as her health w r as evidently on the decline, would pro- 
bably soon be required for her own relief. Hearing that 
her aged parents were, by unavoidable calamity, reduced 
to extreme indigence, and having reason to fear they were 
strangers to the comforts of religion, she obtained leave 



118 



RUTH IV. 



to visit them ; shared with them the little she had, and 
used her utmost endeavours to make them acquainted 
with the consolations and supports of the Gospel, appa- 
rently not without success. Being reminded by an ac- 
quaintance that, in all probability, she would soon stand 
in need of what she had saved she replied, 'That she 
could not think it her duty to see her aged parents pining 
in want while she had more than was needful for her pre- 
sent use, and that she trusted God would find her some 
friend, if He saw good to disable her for service/ Having 
continued to assist her parents till their death, she was 
soon after deprived of health, so as to become incapable 
of labour. God, in a wonderful manner, however, raised 
her up friends where she least expected them. For years 
she was comfortably supported, and circumstances were 
at length so ordered, that her maintenance to the end of 
life was almost as much ensured, as anything can be in 
this uncertain world. 

iii. 18. — The man will not be in rest, until he have 
finished the thing this day. 

' I know nothing of that man's creed,' said a person of 
a religious tradesman with whom he dealt, 'because I 
never asked him what he believed ; but a more honour- 
able, punctual, generous tradesman, I never met with in 
my life. I would as soon take his word for a thousand 
pounds, as I would another man's bond for a shilling. 
Whatever he promises he performs, and to the time also.' 

iv. 15. — He shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, 
and a nourisher of thine old age. 

A widow, who had been left with an only son, when 
she became aged, was much distressed at the thought of 
being under the necessity of going to the poor-house, or 
of living on alms. Her son was now eighteen years of 
age ; he was healthy and strong ; and he assured her, 
that while he was able to work for her, she should be 
obliged to nobody. He therefore took a little cottage for 
her on the edge of the forest, carried her to it, and got 
into the service of a farmer in the neighbourhood as a 
day-labourer. His mother lived nine years after this ; 
during which time he maintained her with great cheer- 
fulness and kindness ; nor had she ever assistance from 
any other person. He denied himself every little indul- 



1. SAMUEL I. 



119 



gence which young men of that age often take, that he 
might maintain his mother. 



I. SAMUEL. 

Chap. i. ver. 27, 28. — For this child I prayed ; and 
the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of 
him : Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord ; 
as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And 
he worshipped the Lord there. 

In the vicinity of Philadelphia there was a pious 
mother, who had the happiness of seeing her children in 
very early life brought to the knowledge of the truth ; 
walking in the fear of the Lord, and ornaments in the 
Christian Church. A clergyman, who was travelling, 
heard this circumstance respecting this mother, and wished 
very much to see her, thinking that there might be some- 
thing peculiar in her mode of giving instruction, which 
rendered it so effectual. He accordingly visited her, 
and inquired respecting the manner in which she dis- 
charged the duties of a mother in educating her chil- 
dren. The woman replied, that she did not know that 
she had been more faithful than any Christian mother 
would be, in the religious instruction of her children. 
After a little conversation, she said, ' While my children 
were infants on my lap, as I washed them, I raised my 
heart to God, that He would wash them in that blood which 
cleanseth from all sin ; as I clothed them in the morn- 
ing, I asked my heavenly Father to clothe them with the 
robe of Christ's righteousness ; as I provided them food, 
I prayed that God would feed their souls with the 
bread of heaven, and give them to drink of the water of 
life. "When I have prepared them for the house of God, 
I have pleaded that their bodies might be fit temples for 
the Holy Ghost to dwell in. When they left me for the 
week-day school, I followed their infant footsteps with a 
prayer, that their path through life might be like that of 
the just, which shineth more and more unto the perfect 
day. And as I committed them to the rest of the night, 
the silent breathing of my soul has been, that their 
heavenly Father would take them to His embrace, and 
fold them in His paternal arms.' 



120 



I. SAMUEL IY. 



ii. 18. — Samuel ministered before the Lord, being 
a child, girded with a linen ephod. 

The Rev. John Brown was born in 1722, in the county 
of Perth, in Scotland. In a narrative of his experience, 
he remarks, ' I reflect on it as a great mercy, that I was 
born in a family which took care of my Christian instruc- 
tion, and in which I had the privilege of God's worship 
morning and evening. About the eighth year of my age, 
I happened, in a crowd, to push into the church at Aber- 
nethy, on a Sacrament Sabbath. Before I was excluded, 
I heard a minister speak much in commendation of 
Christ ; this, in a sweet and delightful manner, captivated 
my young affections, and has since made me think that 
children should never be kept out of church on such 
occasions.' 

iii. 13. — His sons made themselves vile, and he re- 
strained them not. 

A gentleman once observed an Indian standing at a 
window, looking into a field where several children were 
at play. The gentleman asked the interpreter what was 
the conversation. He answered, 4 The Indian was lament- 
ing the sad estate of these orphan children.' The inter- 
preter inquired of him why he thought them orphans ? 
The Indian with great earnestness replied, 1 Is not this 
the day on which you told me the white people worship 
the Great Spirit? If so, surely these children, if they 
had parents, or any person to take care of them, would 
not be suffered to be out there playing and making such 
a noise. Xo ! no ! they have lost their fathers and 
mothers, and have no one to take care of them !' 

iv. 7. — The Philistines were afraid ; for they said, 
God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto 
us. 

The father of three orphan children, lately taken under 
the care of the Southampton Committee for the improve- 
ment of the Gipsies, had lived an atheist, but such he 
could not die. He had often declared there was no God ; 
but, before his death, he called one of his sons to him 
and said, — ' I have always said there was no God, but 
now I know there is ; I see Him now.' He attempted to 



I. SAMUEL YII. 



121 



pray, but knew not how ! And many other gipsies have 
been so afraid of God, that they dreaded to be alone. 

v. 4. — The head of Dagon, and both the palms of 
his hands, were cut off upon the threshold : only the 
stump of Dagon was left to him. 

A missionary in the East Indies passed a place which 
had fallen into decay, although it had been the dwelling- 
place of a god, where, during the last dry season, a buffalo 
had been sacrificed for obtaining rain. The missionary 
inquired after the god, of which nothing remained, and 
was answered bv the people that 1 the white ants had eaten 
him: 

vi. 9. — It was a chance that happened to us. 

A careless sailor, on going to sea, remarked to his reli- 
gious brother: — 'Tom, you talk a great deal about reli- 
gion and Providence, and if I should be wrecked, and a 
ship was to heave in sight and take me off, I suppose you 
would call it a merciful providence. It's all very well, but 
I believe no such thing, — these things happen, like other 
things, by mere chance, and you call it Providence, that's 
all!' He went upon his voyage, and the case he had put 
hypothetic ally was soon literally true ; he was wrecked, 
and remained upon the wreck three days, .when a ship 
appeared, and, seeing their signal of distress, came to their 
relief. He returned, and in relating it. said to his brother, 
1 0 Tom, when that ship hove in sight, my words to you 
came in a moment into my mind — it was like a bolt of 
thunder : I have never got rid of it ; and now I think it 
no more than an act of common gratitude to give myself 
up to Him who pitied and saved me.' 

vii. 5. — I will pray for you unto the Lord. 

An eminent minister in the north of Scotland, remark- 
able for his fervour, was once praying in the public assem- 
bly for various classes of sinners. Among others he 
prayed for profane sinners, that, notwithstanding all the 
enormity of their offences, God would pardon them 
through the Lord Jesus Christ. A profane swearer, who 
was present, felt deeply interested, and lived to manifest 
a thorough conversion to God, and by the Divine bless- 



122 



I. SAMUEL X. 



ing, the effect and answer of the prayer which had been 
offered for that class of sinners to which he belonged. 

viii. 17. — He will take the tenth of your sheep ; 
and ye shall be his servants. 

A poor man in one of the Sandwich Islands, by some 
means obtained possession of a pig, when too small to 
make a meal for his family. He secreted it at a distance 
from his house, and fed it till it had grown to a size suf- 
ficient to afford the desired repast. It was then killed, 
and put into the oven, with the same precaution of se- 
crecy ; but when almost prepared for appetites whetted by 
long anticipation to an exquisite keenness, a caterer of 
the royal household unhappily came near, and, attracted 
to the spot by the savoury fumes of the baking pile, deli- 
berately took a seat till the animal was cooked, and then 
bore off the promised banquet without ceremony or apo- 

ix. 7. — If we go, what shall we bring the man? — 
There is not a present to bring to the man of God : 
what have we ? 

4 This day,' says Maundrell, ' we all dined at Consul 
Hasting's house, and after dinner went to wait upon Os- 
tan, the bassa of Tripoli, having first sent our present, 
as the manner is among the Turks, to procure a propi- 
tious reception. It is counted uncivil to visit in this coun- 
try without an offering in hand. All great men expect it 
as a kind of tribute due to their character and authority, 
and look upon themselves as affronted, and indeed de- 
frauded, when this compliment is omitted. Even in 
familiar visits amongst inferior people, you shall seldom 
have them come without bringing a flower, or an orange, or 
some other such token of their respect to the person visited ; 
— the Turks in this point keeping the ancient Oriental 
customs hinted at 1 Sam. ix. 7. " If we go (says Saul), 
what shall we bring the man of God ? there is not a pre- 
sent,' etc.— which words are questionless to be understood 
in conformity to this Eastern custom, as relating to a 
token of respect, and not a price of divination.' 

x. 2. — Lo, thy father — sorroweth for you, saying, 
What shall I do for my son ? 



I. SAMUEL XI. 



123 



In the Rothsay Castle, which was lately wrecked, a 
father with his child was near the helm, grasping his 
hand, till the waves rolling over the quarter-deck, and 
taking with them several persons who were standing 
near them, it was no longer safe to remain there. The 
father took his child in his hand, and ran towards the 
shrouds, but the boy could not mount with him. He cried 
out, therefore, 'Father, father! do not leave me.' But 
finding that his son could not climb with him, and that 
his own life was in danger, he withdrew his hand. When 
the morning came, the father was conveyed on shore 
with some other passengers who were preserved, and as 
he was landing he said within himself, ' How can I see my 
wife, without having our son with me?' When, however, 
the child's earthly parent let go his hand, his heavenly 
Father did not leave him. He was washed off the deck, 
but happily clung to a part of the wreck on which some 
others of the passengers were floating. With them he was 
almost miraculously preserved. When he was landing, 
not knowing of his father's safety, he said, ' It is of no 
use to take me on shore, now I have lost my father.' He 
was, however, carried much exhausted to the same house 
where his father had been sent, and actually placed in the 
same bed, unknown to either, till they were clasped in 
each other's arms. 

xi. 6. — The Spirit of God came upon Saul when he 
heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. 

When Bonaparte retreated from before Acre, the tyrant 
Djezzar Pasha, to avenge himself on the Franks, inflicted 
a severe punishment on the Jewish and Christian inhabi- 
tants of Saphet. It is said that he had resolved to mas- 
sacre all the believers in Moses and Jesus Christ, who 
might be found in any part of his dominions, and had 
actually sent orders to Nazareth and Jerusalem, to accom- 
plish his barbarous designs. But Sir Sidney Smith, on 
being apprised of his intention, conveyed to him the assur- 
ance, that if a single Christian head should fall, he would 
bombard Acre, and set it on fire. The interposition of 
the British admiral is still remembered with heartfelt 
gratitude by all the inhabitants, who looked upon him as 
their deliverer. 4 His word,' says Burkhardt, 6 1 have 
often heard both Turks and Christians exclaim, was like 
God's word — it never failed.' 



124 



I. SAMUEL XIII. 



xU. 23. — God forbid that I should sin against the 
Lord in ceasing to pray for you. 

One Lord's day morning, Mr "Whitefield, with his usual 
fervour, exhorted his hearers to give up the use of the 
means for the spiritual good of their relations and friends 
only with their lives ; remarking that he had had a brother, 
for whose spiritual welfare he had used every means. 
He had warned him and prayed for him; and apparently 
to no purpose, till a few weeks ago, when his brother, to 
his astonishment and joy, came to his house, and with 
many tears declared, that he had come up from the 
country, to testify to him the great change that Divine 
grace had wrought upon his heart ; and to acknowledge 
with gratitude his obligation to the man whom God had 
made the instrument of it. Mr TVkitefield added, that 
he had that morning received a letter, which informed 
him, that on his brother s return to Gloucestershire, where 
he resided, he dropped down dead as he was getting out 
of the stage-coach, but that he had previously given the 
most unequivocal evidence of his being a new man in 
Christ Jesus. — 'Therefore,' said Mr Wnitefield, 'let us 
pray always for ourselves and for those who are dear to 
us, and never faint.' 

xiii. 13. — Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done 
foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the 
Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. 

TTilliam IX. Duke of Aquitaine and Earl of Poitiers, 
was a violent and dissolute prince, and often indulged 
himself in improper behaviour at the expense of religion. 
Though he had contracted a very suitable marriage, and 
one with which he was satisfied for some time, he parted 
from his wife without reason, to marry another who 
pleased him better. The Bishop of Poitiers, where he 
resided, was a holy prelate, named Peter. He could not 
brook so great a scandal, and having employed all other 
means in vain, he thought it his duty to excommunicate 
the Duke. As he began to pronounce the anathema, 
VTilliam furiously advanced, sword in hand, saying, 
i Thou art dead if thou proceedest.' The bishop, as if 
afraid, required a few moments to consider what was 
most expedient. The Duke granted it, and the bishop 
courageously finished the rest of the formula of excom- 



t. SAMUEL XV. 



125 



munication. After which, extending his neck, 4 Now 
strike,' said he, ' I am quite ready.' The astonishment 
which this intrepid conduct produced in the Duke dis- 
armed his fury, and saying ironically, ' I don't like you 
well enough to send you to heaven,' he contented himself 
with banishing him. 

xiv. 47. — Saul fought against all his enemies on 
every side, against Moab, and against the children of 
Amnion, and against Edom, and against the kings of 
Zobah, and against the Philistines ; and whithersoever 
he turned himself, he vexed them. 

Bonaparte, referring to the siege of Acre, says, ' I see 
that this paltry town has cost me many men, and occupies 
much time ; but things have gone too far not to risk a 
last effort. If we succeed, it is to be hoped we shall find 
in that place the treasures of the pasha, and arms for 
three hundred thousand men. I will raise and arm the 
whole of Syria, which is already greatly exasperated by 
the cruelty of Djezzar, for whose fall you have seen the 
people supplicate Heaven at every assault. I advance 
upon Damascus and Aleppo ; I recruit my army by 
marching into every country where discontent prevails ; 
I announce to the people the abolition of slavery, and of 
the tyrannical government of the pashas ; I arrive at 
Constantinople with armed masses ; I overturn the do- 
minion of the Mussulman; I found in the East a new 
and mighty empire, which shall fix my position with pos- 
terity ; and perhaps I return to Paris by Adrianople or 
Vienna, having annihilated the house of Austria.' 

xv. 33. — As thy sword hath made women childless, 
so shall thy mother be childless among women. 

Persecutors, and others who have unjustly shed the 
blood of their fellow-creatures, have often, in the righteous 
providence of God, met with a violent death, or been 
visited by signal judgments. Nero was driven from his 
throne, and, perceiving his life in danger, became his own 
executioner ; Domitian was killed by his own servants ; 
Hadrian died of a distressing disease, which was accom- 
panied with gieat mental agony ; Severus never prospered 
in his affairs after he persecuted the Church, and was 
killed by the treachery of his son ; Maximums reigned 



t. 



126 



I. SAMUEL XVII. 



but three years, and died a violent death ; Decius was 
drowned in a marsh, and his body never found ; Valerian 
was taken prisoner by the Persians, and, after enduring 
the horrors of captivity for several years, was flayed alive ; 
Dioclesian was compelled to resign his empire, and be- 
came insane ; Maximianus Herculeus was deprived of his 
government, and strangled; Maximianus Galerius was 
suddenly and awfully removed by death ; and Severus 
committed suicide. 

xvi. 23. — When the evil spirit from God was upon 
Saul, David took a harp, and played with his hand: 
so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit 
departed from him. 

Sultan Amurath, having laid siege to Bagdad and taken 
it, ordered 30,000 Persians to be put to death, though 
they had submitted and laid down their arms. Amongst 
these unfortunate victims was a musician. He besought 
the officer who had the command to see the Sultan's or- 
ders executed, to spare him but for a moment, and permit 
him to speak to the Emperor. The officer indulged him ; 
and being brought before the Sultan, he was suffered to 
give a specimen of his art. He took up a kind of psaltery, 
which resembles a lyre, and has six strings on each side, 
and accompanied it with his voice. He sang the taking 
of Bagdad, and the triumph of Amurath. The pathetic 
tones and exulting sounds of the instrument, together 
with the alternative plaintiveness and boldness of his 
strains, melted even Amurath : he suffered him to pro- 
ceed, till, overpowered by the harmony, tears of pity 
gushed forth, and he revoked his cruel orders. In con- 
sideration of the musician's abilities, he not only ordered 
those of the prisoners who remained alive to be spared, 
but gave them their liberty. 

xvii. 37. — The Lord delivered me out of the paw of 
the lion. 

Mr Campbell relates a singular escape of a Bushman 
child from being devoured by a lion. The child was only 
four years of age, and was sleeping beside its parents in a 
half-open hut. About midnight the child awoke, and sat 
by a dull fire. The father happening to awake about the 
same time, looked at his child, and while looking, a lion 



I. SAMUEL XIX. 



127 



came to the opposite side of the fire. The child, ignorant 
of his danger, was not afraid, but spoke to it, and sport - 
inglv threw live cinders at it, on which the lion snarled 
and approached nearer, when the child seized a burning 
stick, and playfully thrust it into its mouth, when the lion 
scampered off as fast as he could run. The father wit- 
nessed all this, but was afraid to interfere, lest himself 
as well as his child should haye been torn to pieces by 
the ferocious animal. 

xviii. 12. — Saul was afraid of David, because the 
Lord was with him. 

'It has often struck me as a singular inconsistency,' 
says a writer in the London Evangelical Magazine, ' on 
the part of those who are in the habit of profaning the 
name and attributes of the Most High, that although they 
are in no degree impressed by the idea of the omnipre- 
sence of God (who hears and takes cognisance of every 
oath which they utter), they are often awed into silence 
by the presence of a fellow-mortal, if they know him to 

be a pious man. The late Mr M of N , in the 

county of F , was a striking proof of the correctness 

of this remark. He was a man of extensive property and 
influence, and a most inveterate swearer. In the com- 
pany of his inferiors, superiors, or equals, it was all the 
same. Oath after oath rolled from his tongue. And yet 

there was one man in whose presence Mr M- was 

never known to swear. And who was he ? A man of 
high rank and political power ? Not at all. He was one 

of Mr M 's own tenants. But he was a pious man; 

a fearless defender of the honour of his Divine Master ; 
and of him Mr M could not help standing in awe.' 

xix. 10. — Saul sought to* smite David even to the 
wall with the javelin ; but he slipped away out of Saul's 
presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall : and 
David fled, and escaped that night. 

Mr John Knox was accustomed tc sit at the head of the 
table in his own house, with his back to the window ; yet 
on a certain night, such was the impression on his mind, 
that he would neither sit in his own chair, nor allow any 
other person to sit in it, but sat on another chair with his 
back to the table. That very night a bullet was shot in 



128 



I. SA3TUEL XXI. 



at the window, purposely to kill him, but the conspirators 
missed him ; the bullet grazed the chair in which he used 
to sit, lighted on the candlestick, and made a hole in the 
foot of it, which it is said is ret to be seen. The Earl of 
Morton, who attended Mr Knox's funeral, when the corpse 
was put into the ground, said, 1 Here lies the body of him 
who in his lifetime never feared the face of man ; and 
though often threatened with dag and dagger, hath ended 
his days in peace and honour.' 

xx. 3. — There is but a step between me and death. 

When we consider the frailty, shortness, and uncer- 
tainty of human life, these words of David will appear 
applicable to mankind in general ; there are particular 
cases, however, in which they apply with peculiar pro- 
priety. The following is a remarkable instance : — 

A short time ago, a respectable old gentleman in Perth, 
before he was aware, had placed himself in the way of 
an enraged bull, which was ranging through the streets, 
preceded by a large crowd of people,who were flying from 
it in all directions. The gentleman finding himself sud- 
denly by the side of the bull, placed himself as quickly as 
possible against a wall, in the hope that it might pass 
without giving him any molestation. The enraged ani- 
mal, however, made an instantaneous and furious onset, 
but happily for the life of the intended victim, it was pos- 
sessed of enormously large horns, which, instead of com- 
ing in contact with his body, actually enclosed him, and 
struck the wall with tremendous force, one horn on each 
side of the terrified gentleman. The bull, hurt by the 
reaction, ran quickly off, without inflicting injury. De- 
liverance from a danger so imminent, calls for the live- 
liest gratitude to the God of providence. 

xxi. 2. — The king hath commanded me a business, 
and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of 
the business whereabout I send thee. 

Erom the circumstances in which we know David was 
placed, the account given of himself to Ahimelech must 
appear untrue, and contrary to the Scripture rule, of 
speaking the truth every man to his neighbour. — At a 
meeting of an Auxiliary Bible Society in London, Mr 
Dudley related that a friend of his, who had subscribed a 



I. SAMUEL XXIII. 



129 



guinea-a-year to one of the Southwark Societies, and whose 
sen-ants had also become members of it. intimated to him 
that he could no longer give his support to such societies. 
On being asked the reason, he replied, ' That they had 
ruined his servants : he had had one of the best women- 
servants in the world ; but, on a late occasion, when he 
wished to be denied to a person who called and bade her 
say he was not at home, she told him she could not say 
so? 'Why so?' said he, 'I have read my Bible,' she 
replied, 1 and cannot tell a lie.' — Mr Dudley, however, on 
conversing with his friend, who was a man of sense, con- 
vinced him that he was wrong in supposing the Bible had 
ruined his servant. It was far more probable that she 
who was taught to tell lies for him, would soon learn to 
tell lies to him. His friend, instead of withdrawing his 
subscription, immediately doubled it. 

xxii. 17. — The king said unto the footmen that stood 
about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord ; but 
the servants of the king would not put forth their hand 
to fall upon the priests of the Lord. 

When the infamous Catherine of Medicis had per- 
suaded Charles IX. of Trance to massacre all the Pro- 
testants in the kingdom, that detestable prince sent orders 
to the governors of the different provinces, to put all the 
Huguenots to death in their respective districts. — ' Sire,' 
answered one Catholic governor, who will ever be dear 
to humanity, 4 1 have too much respect for your Majesty 
not to persuade myself that the order I have received 
must be forged ; but if, which God forbid, it should really 
be your Majesty's order, I have too much respect for your 
Majesty to obey it.' 

xxiii. 26, 27. — Saul and his men compassed David 
and his men round about to take them. But there 
came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and 
come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. 

Mr Alexander Peden, a Scotch Covenanter, with some 
others, had been, at one time pursued, both by horse and 
foot, for a considerable way. At last, getting some little 
height between them and their persecutors, he stood still, 
and said, 1 Let us pray here, for if the Lord hear not our 
prayer and save us, we are all dead men.' He then 

I 



130 



I. SAMUEL XXYI. 



prayed, saving, 1 0 Lord, this is the hour and the power 
of Thine enemies, they may not he idle. But hast Thou 
no other work for them than to send them after us ? Send 
them after them to whom Thou wilt gi'e strength to flee, 
for our strength is gane. Twine them about the hill, O 
Lord, and cast the lap of Thy cloak over puir auld Saun- 
ders, and thir puir things, and save us this ae time, and 
we will keep it in remembrance, and tell to the commen- 
dation of Thy guidness, Thy pity and compassion, what 
Thou didst for us at sic a time.' And in this he was 
heard, for a cloud of mist immediately intervened between 
them and their persecutors ; and in the meantime, orders 
came to go in quest of J ames Renwick, and a great com- 
pany with him. 

xxiv. 19. — If a man find his enemy, will he let him 

go well away ? 

Tasso being told that he had a fair opportunity of 
taking advantage of a very bitter enemy : — ' I wish not 
to plunder him,' said he ; 1 but there are things I wish to 
take from him : not his honour, his wealth, or his life, 
but his ill will.' 

xxv. 36, 37. — Nabal held a feast in his house, like 
the feast of a king : and NabaFs heart was merry 
within him, for he was very drunken. But when the 
wine was gone out of 2\abal, his heart died within him, 
and he became as a stone. 

A Mr L , from his earliest years, looked with 

anxious desire to the period of his possessing the living 

of G- , to which he was the nearest heir. Some years 

ago the incumbent died. When intelligence was brought 

Mr L , he collected all his friends, and treated them 

with a sumptuous feast for three days. He drank so 
large a quantity of wine upon this occasion, that he be- 
came deranged', was inhibited, and put in confinement, 
and his elder son took possession of his living. 

xxvi. 8. — Then said Abishai to David, God hath de- 
livered thine enemy into thine hand this day ; now 
therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear 
even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the 
second time. 



I. SAMUEL XXVIII. 



131 



Arcadius, an Argive, was incessantly railing at Philip 
of Macedon. Venturing once into the dominions of 
Philip, the courtiers reminded their prince, that he had 
now an opportunity to punish Arcadius for his past in- 
solences, and to put it out of his power to repeat them. 
The king, however, instead of seizing the hostile stranger, 
and putting him to death, dismissed him loaded with 
courtesies and kindnesses. Some time after Arcadius's 
departure from Macedon, word was "brought, that the 
king's old enemy was become one of his warmest friends, 
and did nothing but diffuse his praises wherever he 
went. On hearing this, Philip turned to his courtiers, 
and asked, with a smile, — ' Am not I a better physician 
than you ?' 

xxvii 7- — David dwelt in the country of the Philis- 
tines. 

The celebrated philanthropist, Howard, who spent the 
best part of his life in travelling over all the countries of 
Europe — i to plunge into the infection of hospitals — to 
survey the mansions of sorrow and pain — to remember the 
forgotten, and to visit the forsaken, under all climes ' — 
was not unhappy amidst its toils. In a letter from Kiga, 
during his last journey, he says, ' 1 hope I have sources of 
enjoyment that depend not on the particular spot I in- 
habit ; a rightly cultivated mind, under the power of re- 
ligion and the exercise of beneficent dispositions, affords 
a ground of satisfaction little affected by heres and theres. 9 

xxviii. 8. — Saul said, I pray thee, divine unto me by 
the familiar spirit, and bring me him up whom I shall 
name unto thee. 

An honest tradesman came one day to the late J ohn 
Frederic Oberlin, pastor of Walbach, in Prance, inform- 
ing him, that a ghost, habited in the dress of an ancient 
knight, frequently presented itself before him, and 
awakened hopes of a treasure buried in his cellar. He had 
often, he said, followed, but had always been so much 
alarmed by a fearful noise, and a dog which he fancied 
he saw, that the effort had proved fruitless, and he re- 
turned as he went. The affair so entirely absorbed his 
mind, that he could no longer apply to his trade with his 
former industry, and had,in consequence, lost nearly all his 



132 



I. SAMUEL XXIX. 



custom. He, therefore, urgently begged Oberlin -would go 
to his house, and conjure the ghost, for the purpose of either 
putting him in possession of the treasure, or of discon- 
tinuing its visits. Oberlin replied, that he did not trouble 
himself with the conjuration of ghosts, and endeavoured 
to weaken the notion of an apparition in the man's mind, 
exhorting him to seek for worldly wealth by application 
to his business, prayer, and industry. Observing, how- 
ever, that his efforts were unavailing, he promised to 
comply with the man's request. On arriving, at midnight, 
at the tradesman's house, he found him in company 
with his wife and several female relations, who still 
affirmed that they had seen the apparition. They were 
seated in a circle in the middle of the apartment. Sud- 
denly the whole company turned pale, and the man ex- 
claimed, c Do you see, Sir, the count is standing opposite 
to you? , c 1 see nothing.' 'Now, Sir,' exclaimed another 
terrified voice, ' he is advancing towards you.' ' I still do 
not see him.' 1 Now he is standing just behind your 
chair.' 'And yet I cannot see him ; but, as you say he 
is so near me, I will speak to him.' And then, rising 
from his seat, and turning towards the corner, where they 
had said he stood, Oberlin continued — ' Sir count, they 
tell me you are standing before me, although I cannot see 
you, but this shall not prevent me from informing you, 
that it is scandalous conduct on your part, by the fruit- 
less promise of a hidden treasure, to lead an honest man, 
wmo has hitherto faithfully followed his calling, into ruin 
— to induce him to neglect his business — and to bring 
misery upon his wife and children, by rendering him im- 
provident and idle. Begone, and delude them no longer 
with such vain hopes.' Upon this the people assured 
him that the ghost vanished at once. Oberlin went home, 
and the poor man taking the hint which in his address 
to the count he had intended to convey, applied to busi- 
ness with his former alacrity, and never again complained 
of his nocturnal visitor. 

xxix. 1. — The Israelites pitched by a fountain which 
is in Jezreel. 

William, Archbishop of Tyre, informs us that the 
Christian kings of J erusalem used to assemble their forces 
at a fountain between Nazareth and Sepphoris, which was 
greatly celebrated on that account. This being consi- 



I. SAMUEL XXXI. 



133 



dered as the centre of the kingdom, they could from 
thence march more conveniently to any place where their 
presence was required. He mentions also another foun- 
tain near a town called little Gerinum, which he says was 
the ancient Jezreel. Near this, Saladin pitched his camp, 
for the benefit of its waters, while Baldwin, King of Jeru- 
salem, had, as usual, assembled his army at the first men- 
tioned place. 

xxx. 11, 12. — They found an Egyptian in the field, 
and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he 
did eat : and they made him drink water ; and when 
he had eaten, his spirit came again to him ; for he had 
eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and 
three nights. 

Alexander, the late Emperor of Ru ssia, m one or rns 
journeys, came to a spot where they had just dragged out 
of the water a peasant, who appeared to be lifeless. He 
instantly alighted, had the man laid on the side of the 
bank, and immediately proceeded to strip him, and to 
rub his temples, wrists, etc. Dr Wylie, his Majesty's 
physician, attempted to bleed the patient, but in vain ; 
and after three hours' fruitless attempts to recover him, 
the doctor declared that it was useless to proceed any 
farther. The Emperor entreated Dr Wylie to persevere, 
and make another attempt to bleed him. The doctor, 
though he had not the slightest hopes of success, pro- 
ceeded to obey the injunctions of his Majesty, who, with 
some of his attendants, made a last effort at rubbing. At 
length the Emperor had the inexpressible satisfaction of 
seeing the blood make its appearance, while the poor 
peasant uttered a feeble groan. His Majesty, in a trans- 
port of joy, exclaimed that this was the brightest day of 
his life, while tears stole involuntarily down his cheek. 
Their exertions were now redoubled : the Emperor tore 
his handkerchief, and bound the arm of the patient, nor 
did he leave him till he was quite recovered. He then 
had him conveyed to a place where proper care could be 
taken of him, ordered him a considerable present, and 
afterwards provided for him and his family. 

xxxi. 4. — Saul said unto his armour-bearer, Draw 
thy sword, and thrust me through therewith. 



134 



H. SAMUEL II. 



The father of a family in the province of Silesia, in 
Germany, having determined to put an end to his life, 
loaded his gun, and placing the muzzle to his mouth, 
called one of his children, only eight years of age, and 
desired him to pull the trigger. The poor child, ignorant 
of the consequence of his obedience, did as he was de- 
sired, and thus became innocently the destroyer of his 
father. 



II. SAMUEL. 

Chap. i. ver. 15. — David called one of the young 
men, and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he 
smote him that he died. 

Papirius Carbo, the Roman Consul, being impeached 
as an accomplice in the assassination of the second Afri- 
canus, one of his servants, whom he had affronted, stole 
the box in which his master kept all his papers, and car- 
ried it to Licinius Crassus, who was employed to make 
good the indictment. Crassus was at enmity with Papi- 
rius, and these papers would have furnished him with 
ample matter to gratify it ; but the generous Roman had 
such an abhorrence of the treachery, that he sent back 
the slave in chains, and the box unopened, saying, that 
he had rather let an enemy and a criminal escape un- 
punished, than destroy him by base and dishonourable 
means. 

ii. 22, 23. — Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee 
aside from following me : wherefore should I smite 
thee to the ground? — Howbeit, he refused to turn 
aside: wherefore Abner, with the hinder end of the 
spear, smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear 
came out behind him ; and he fell down there, and died 
in the same place. 

When Colonel Blackadder was a very young man, an 
unhappy affair took place between him and a brother 
officer, Captain S , which was said to have origi- 
nated in some trifling verbal dispute while over their 
wine in a company after dinner. Captain S , it ap- 
pears, had taken offence at some expressions dropt by 
his friend in conversation, as if intended to call in ques- 
tion his veracity. Meeting with him some timo after- 



n. SAMUEL III. 



135 



wards, he reminded him of the alleged insult, and in- 
sisted upon having immediate satisfaction. His friend, 
astonished and unconscious of giving offence, asserted 
his innocence, as he could recollect of nothing he had 
said that could have the least tendency to asperse or in- 
jure his character. In vain, however, did he attempt to 
justify himself, and to show him that the words he had 
used were on a trifling occasion, and not capable of the 
construction he put upon them. In vain did he assure 
him, that if he had given him just provocation, he was 
ready to make any proper apology, or any concession or 
reparation he had a right to demand. In a paroxysm of 

rage, and incapable of listening to reason, Captain S 

drew his sword, and rushed on Lieutenant Blackadder, 
who, for some time, kept retreating and expostulating, 
willing to terminate the dispute in some more amicable 
way. At length, finding all his remonstrances ineffectual, 
and perceiving his own life in danger, he saw himself 
obliged, in self-defence, to close with his antagonist. An 
unfortunate thrust soon laid the captain at his feet. The 
consequences of this rash misadventure might have proved 
fatal to himself, but happily the whole contest was seen 
from the ramparts of the town, by several soldiers, who 
bore witness to the necessity under which he was laid to 
defend his life. The matter was speedily adjusted; and 
after a regimental trial, the lieutenant was honourably 
acquitted. The event, however, was too solemn, and 
made too deep an impression on his mind, ever to be for- 
gotten ; and it is said, as long as he lived, he observed 
the anniversary of it as a day of mourning, of penitence, 
and prayer. 

iii. 31. — David said to Joab, and to all the people 
that were with him, Bend your clothes, and gird you 
with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king 
David himself followed the bier. 

A merchant of the town of Ghinnah, in Upper Egypt, 
was murdered while on a journey from Ghinnah to Cosire. 
Irwin gives an account of the mourning which took place 
while he stopped in the town: — 'The tragedy,' he said, 
* which was lately acted near Cosire, gave birth to a 
mournful procession of females, which passed through the 
different streets of Ghinnah this morning, and uttered 



136 



II. SAMUEL V. 



dismal cries for the death of Mahomet (the merchant who 
was murdered). In the centre was a female of his family, 
who carried a naked sword in her hand, to intimate the 
weapon hy which the deceased fell. At sundry places 
the procession stopped and danced round the sword, to the 
music of timbrels and tabors. They paused a long time 
before us (Irwin and his companions had been on ill terms 
with the merchant), and some of the women made threat- 
ening signs to one of our servants ; which agrees with the 
caution we received to keep within doors. It would be 
dangerous enough to face this frantic company, whose 
constant clamour and extravagant gestures gave them all 
the appearance of the female Bacchanals of Thrace re- 
corded of old.' 

iv. 10. — When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is 
dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took 
hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought 
that I would have given him a reward for his tidings. 

A certain Roman in the days of Paganism, called Titus 
Manlius, was extremely ill-treated by his father, for no 
other reason than a defect in his speech. A tribune of 
the people brought an accusation against the father be- 
fore the people, who hated him for his imperious conduct, 
and were determined to punish him with severity. The 
young man came one morning very early from his father's 
country farm, where he was forced to live in the style of 
a slave, and finding out the house of the tribune who had 
impeached his father, compelled him to swear that he 
would immediately drop the prosecution. Oaths being 
at that time held inviolable in Rome, the tribune declared 
before the people that he withdrew his charge against old 
Manlius, because his son Titus had obliged him to pro- 
mise upon oath that he would carry it no farther. The 
people, charmed with the filial piety of Titus to an un- 
natural father, not only forgave the old man, but next 
year advanced his generous son to the supreme honours 
of the state. 

v. 22, 23. — The Philistines came up yet again, and 
spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And 
David inquired of the Lord. 

4 In the number of providential interpositions in aaswer 



II. SAMUEL VIII. 



137 



on the coast of Holland in the year 1672. The Dutch 
expected an attack from their enemies by sea, and public 
prayers were ordered for their deliverance. It came to 
pass, that when their enemies waited only for the tide, in 
order to land, the tide was retarded, contrary to its usual 
course, for twelve hours ; so that their enemies were 
obliged to defer the attempt to another opportunity, which 
they never found, because a storm arose afterwards, and 
drove them from the coast. 

vi. 20. — Then David returned to bless his house- 
hold. 

Sir Thomas Abney kept up regular prayer in his family, 
during all the time he was Lord Mayor of London ; and, 
on the evening of the day he entered on his office, he, 
without any notice, withdrew from the public assembly at 
Guildhall after supper, went to his house, there per- 
formed private worship, and then returned to the com- 
pany. 

vii. 12, 13. — When thy days be fulfilled, and thou 
shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after 
thee. — He shall build an house for my name. 

When the late Rev. J. Brewer of Birmingham laid the 
foundation of a large meeting-house for worship, having 
been declining in health some time before, he said, on 
that occasion, — 'You are going to build a chapel here for 
the exercise of my ministry, and with the hope and in- 
tention that I should labour in it ; and yet most probably, 
when you meet again for the purpose of opening it, you 
may have to walk over my sleeping dust.' This solemn 
and affecting premonition was soon realized, and his dis- 
consolate people had to perform a painful duty in follow- 
ing the remains of their beloved pastor into this un- 
finished edifice. 

viii. 6. — And the Lord preserved David whitherso- 
ever he went. 

Samuel Proctor, a class-leader in the Methodist Society, 
was formerly a grenadier in the First Regiment of Foot 
Guards, and took part in the struggle on the plains of 
Waterloo. He always carried a small Bible in one pocket 
and a hymn-book in the other. On the evening of June 



138 



II. SAMUEL X. 



26th, his regiment was ordered to dislodge the French 
from a wood, of which they had taken possession, and 
from which they annoyed the allied army. While thus 
engaged, he was thrown a distance of four or five yards, by 
a force on his thigh, for which he could not account at 
the time ; but when he came to examine his Bible, he 
saw, with lively gratitude to the Preserver of his life, 
what it was that had thus driven him. A musket ball 
had struck him where his Bible rested, and penetrated 
nearly half through the volume. All who saw the ball 
said, that it would undoubtedly have killed him, had it 
not been for the Bible which served as a shield. The 
Bible is kept as a sacred deposit, and laid up in his house, 
like the sword of Goliath in the tabernacle. 

ix. 10. — Thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy 
master's son may have food to eat ; but Mephibosheth 
thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. 

' The eating at courts,' says Harmer, 'is of two kinds ; 
the one public and solemn, the other private ; might not 
the intention of these passages, that speak of a right to 
eat at a royal table, be to point out a right to a seat there 
when the repast was public and solemn ? — Understanding 
things,' he adds, 'after this manner, removes embar- 
rassments from what is said concerning Mephibosheth. 
Though he was to eat at all public times at the King's 
table, yet he would want the produce of his lands for 
food at other times. It was very proper also for David 
to mention to Ziba the circumstances of his being to eat 
at all public times as one of his own sons, at the royal 
table, that Ziba might understand it would be requisite for 
him to bring the produce of the lands to Jerusalem ; and 
that in such quantities, too, as to support Mephibosheth 
in a manner answerable to the dignity of one that at- 
tended at public times at court. " Thou shalt bring in 
the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat ; 
and (for that, I apprehend, is the particle our translators 
should have made use of, not but) Mephibosheth, thy 
master's son, shall eat always at my table." ' 

x. 5. — Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown. 
A very young clergyman, who had just left college, 

presented a petition to the King of Prussia, requesting 



II. SAMUEL XII. 



139 



that his Majesty would appoint him inspector in a certain 
place where a vacancy had just happened. As it was an 
office of much consequence, the King was offended at the 
presumption and importunity of so young a man, and, in- 
stead of returning any answer to the petition, he wrote un- 
derneath, 4 2 Book of Samuel, chap. x. ver. 5,' and re- 
turned it. The young clergyman was eager to examine the 
quotation ; hut, to his great disappointment, found the 
words, 4 Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown.' 

xi. 11. — Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, 
and Judah, abide in tents ; and my lord Joab, and 
the servants of my lord are encamped in the open 
fields : shall I then go into my house, to eat and to 
drink ? 

A veteran officer in the French service, being reduced 
without a pension, and with a young family, worked hard 
to support them by daily labour, in an obscure part of the 
country. He had one son, however, in the military school 
at Paris, where he had every comfort and conveniency of 
life that could be wished ; yet the generous youth refused 
to take anything but bread and water. When asked the 
reason, he replied, 4 His father's family had nothing else, 
and he could not think of living luxuriously, while they 
were starving.' This coming to the ears of the Duke de 
Choiseul, he rewarded the son, and settled a pension on 
his father. 

xii. 16. — David besought God for the child ; and 
David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the 
earth. 

4 My mother,' says Legh Richmond, 4 had six child- 
ren ; three of whom died in infancy. A very affecting 
circumstance accompanied the death of one of them, and 
was a severe trial to her maternal feelings. Her then 
youngest child, a sweet little boy, only just two years old, 
through the carelessness of his nurse, fell from a bed- 
room window upon the pavement beneath. I was at that 
time six years of age, and happened to be walking upon 
the very spot, when the distressing event occurred. I was, 
therefore, the first to take him up. I delivered into our 
agonized mother's arms the poor little sufferer. The head 
was fractured, and he survived the fall only about thirty 



uo 



II. SAMUEL XIV. 



hours. I stiil preserve a very lively and distinct remem- 
brance of the struggle between the natural feelings of the 
mother, and the spiritual resignation of the Christian. 
She passed the sad interval of suspense in almost con- 
tinual prayer, and found God a present help in time of 
trouble. Frequently during that day did she retire with 
me ; and, as I knelt beside her, she uttered the feelings 
and desires of her heart to God. I remember her saying, 
" If I cease praying for five minutes, I am ready to sink 
under this unlooked-for distress ; but, when I pray, God 
comforts and upholds me : His will, not mine, be done." 
Once she said, " Help me to pray, my child : Christ 
suffers little children to come to Him, and forbids them 
not; — say something." "What shall I say, mamma? 
Shall I fetch a book?" " Not now," she replied; " speak 
from your heart, and ask God that we may be reconciled 
to His will, and bear this trial with patience." ' 

xiii. 28. — Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry 
with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon ; 
then kill him. 

' At our village feast or wake,' says one, 1 there is much 
drunkenness and rioting. Sunday has been the chief day 
of gaiety in former years. On the Sunday evening last 
year, seeing the public-house yard full of drinkers, a per- 
son went in amongst them with tracts, and offered them 
at the ale tables. The first tract offered was, " Are you 
prepared to die ?" The man who took it read the title 
aloud, and said, " No, Sir, I am not." He was asked 
"Is this the place to prepare to die?" He said, "No, 
Sir, I think not." He then took up his hat, and said, " I 
will be off immediately," — carried the tract away in his 
hand, and left the village to go home. In half an hour 
the public-house yard was clear. 

xiv. 14. — We must needs die, and are as water spilt 
on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. 

The Rev. Mr Jowett, when describing the funeral ser- 
vices of the Greeks, says, ' The corpse was now carried 
out into the church-yard. A slab lifted up, discovered 
that the whole church-yard is hollow underground. The 
body was put into a meaner wooden coffin, and lowered 
into the grave. I did not observe that they sprinkled earth 



II. SAMUEL XVI. 



141 



upon it as we do ; but, instead of this a priest concluded 
the ceremony by pouring a glass of water on the head of 
the corpse. I did not learn what this meant ; but it brought 
to my mind that touching passage in 2 Samuel xiv. 14, 
" For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the 
ground, which cannot be gathered up again." 

xv. 26. — If he thus say, I have no delight in thee ; 
behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good 
unto him. 

Mr Hey, an eminent surgeon, early in the year 1778, 
received a stroke upon his thigh, which threatened the 
complete suspension of his professional labours. The re- 
medies applied under his own direction, and those of his 
medical friends, proved altogether unserviceable ; and it 
appeared in the highest degree probable to himself and 
them, that he would never regain the power of walking. 
He was the father of a large family, and was soon to be 
the parent of the eleventh child. He was in full business, 
and had the most reasonable prospect of distinction and 
emolument, as creditable to himself as advantageous to his 
family. Mr Hey felt this afflictive dispensation of Divine 
Providence, as every considerate man in similar circum- 
stances would feel it — he was deeply affected by it ; but 
his language and conduct were constantly expressive of 
the most humble submission, and meek acquiescence in 
the Divine will. To an intimate friend, who was lament- 
ing the apparent consequences of a disorder which ex- 
tinguished all his prospects of future usefulness, he replied, 
' If it be the will of God that I should be confined to my 
sofa, and He command me to pick straws during the re- 
mainder of my life, I hope I shall feel no repugnance to 
His good pleasure.' 

xvi. 11. — Behold, my son, which came forth of my 
bowels, seeketh my life. 

A pious father, alive to the importance of his trust, ne- 
glected nothing, in order to give a good education to his 
son. Good examples, pious instructions, and sound ad- 
vice, were all employed for this purpose ; but a bad temper 
and criminal propensities obtained the ascendancy in the 
soul, and drove the reckless youth to multiplied irregu- 
larities, which wrung the heart of his parent, and caused 
the most pungent sorrow. This unnatural son, listening 



142 



II. SA3ITJEL XYTI. 



to the suggestions of a wicked heart, formed the horrible 
project of assassinating his father, that he might at once 
become possessed of his property, and, of course, that he 
might be able to indulge, to a greater extent, in licen- 
tiousness. The unhappy father received the painful in- 
telligence, through a medium which left no doubt on his 
mind concerning the fact. Stung with grief, and resolv- 
ing to make a last effort to touch a heart so lost to itself, 
the father said one day to his son, 1 My son, would you 
take a walk with me? Your company will give me 
pleasure. The son consented to the proposal, perhaps 
with the view of executing his barbarous intention. The 
father conducted him insensibly to a solitary place, in the 
deepest recesses of an extensive forest. Then stopping 
suddenly, he addressed his son in the following terms : — 
4 My son, I have been told, and have no doubt of the fact, 
that you have formed the desperate resolution of murder- 
ing me. Notwithstanding the many just grounds of com- 
plaint which I have against you, still you are my son, and 
I love you still, and wish to give you a last token of my 
tenderness. I have led you into this forest, and to this 
solitary place, where none are to witness our conduct, and 
where none can have the smallest knowledge of your 
crime.' Then, drawing a dagger, which had been con- 
cealed, 'There, my son,' said he, 1 there is a dagger — take 
your will of me — execute the cruel design which you have 
formed against my life — put me to death according to your 
resolution — I shall, at least, in dying here, save you from 
falling into the hands of human justice — this shall be the 
last evidence of my tender attachment to you ; in my ex- 
treme grief, this shall be some consolation to me, that I 
shall save your life, whilst you deprive me of mine.' The 
son, struck and astonished, could not refrain from cry- 
ing ; he burst into a flood of tears — threw himself at 
his father's feet — implored the forgiveness of his foul 
offence, and protested before God, that he would change 
his conduct to the best and most benevolent of fathers. 
He kept his word — renouncing his ruinous irregularities, 
and causing consolation and joy, somewhat proportioned 
to the grief and sorrows of soul which he had given to 
his father. 

xvii. 23. — When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was 
not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him 



H. SAMUEL XIX. 



143 



home to his house, to his city, and put his household 
in order, and hanged himself. 

An avowed infidel, whose language and conduct had 
"been most profane, and who had boldly argued for man's 
right to kill himself when he found it expedient, swal 
lowed a quantity of opium which put an end to his life 
Among his papers was found one, on which was written, 
4 1 have this moment swallowed a phial of tincture ol 
opium, consequently my life will be but short. Whether 
there will be a heaven or a hell, Heave parsons to divine.' 
The part of the manuscript which followed was blotted, 
and concluded thus : ' My hand trembles, my eyes grow 
dim, I can see to write no more ; but he that would be 
happy should be religious.' 

xviii. 9. — Absalom's head caught hold of the oak, 
and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth ; 
and the mule that was under him went away. 

Unnatural and disobedient children are often, in the 
righteous retributions of Providence, punished for their 
wickedness. Mr Clark mentions the case of Adolph, son 
of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, who, dissatisfied that his 
father should live so long, came upon him one night as he 
w r as going to bed, took him prisoner, obliged him to go on 
foot in a cold season, barelegged as he was, and then shut 
him a close prisoner in a dark dungeon for six months. 
Such disobedience and cruelty did not, however, go long 
unpunished ; for shortly after, the son was apprehended, 
kept for a long time in prison, and after his release was 
slain in a battle with the French. 

xix. 21, 22. — Abishai said, Shall not Shimei be put 
to death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed ? 
And David said — Shall there any man be put to death 
this day in Israel ; for do not I know that I am this 
day King over Israel ? 

Louis XII. of France had been Duke of Orleans before 
his elevation to the Crown. During that time, a French 
nobleman had offered him several unjust and gross in- 
dignities. After his accession to the throne, some cour- 
tiers hinted to him, that it was now in his power to avenge 
the affronts he had formerly received. His Majesty's 
answer is truly worthy of being remembered — ' God for- 



144 



II. SAMUEL XXII. 



bid, that the King of France should remember the quar- ' 
rels of the Duke of Orleans.' 

xx. 19. — I am one of them that are peaceable and 
faithful in Israel. 

The excellent conduct of Mr Swartz, missionary in 
India, was such as to secure the confidence of all ranks of 
people. In the time of war, when the fort of Tanjore was 
in a distressed situation, a powerful enemy at hand, and 
not provision enough even for the garrison, and when, to 
add to this distress, the neighbouring inhabitants, who, 
by ill-treatment, had lost all confidence in the Europeans, 
and the Rajah had in vain entreated the help of the 
people, the only hope left was in Mr Swartz. 1 We have 
all lost our credit,' said the Rajah to an English gentle- 
man ; 4 let us try whether the inhabitants will trust Mr 
Swartz.' Accordingly, he was desired to make an agree- 
ment with them. There was no time to be lost. The 
Sepoys fell as dead people, being emaciated with hunger. 
The streets were lined with dead bodies every morning. 
He sent, therefore, letters in every direction, promising 
to pay, with his own hands, for every bullock that might 
be taken by the enemy. In a day or two he got above 
a thousand bullocks. He sent catechists and other 
Christians into the country, at the risk of their lives, who 
returned in a short time, and brought into the fort a great 
quantity of corn. Thus the fort was saved ; and when 
all was over, he paid all the people, made them a small 
present, and sent them away. 

xxi. 10. — Rizpah — suffered neither the birds of the 
air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field 
by night. 

Timoleon, the Corinthian, being in a battle with the 
Argives, and seeing his brother fall dead with the wounds 
he had received, instantly leaped over his dead body, and 
with his shield protected it from insult and plunder ; and 
though sorely wounded in this generous enterprise, he 
would not, by any means, retreat to a place of safety, till 
he had seen the corpse carried off the field by his friends. 

xxii. 50. — I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, 
among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy 
name. 



IT. SAMUEL XXIII. 



145 



* The Sabbath here,' says Mr Stewart, referring to the 
Sandwich Islands, ' is a most interesting day to the Chris- 
tian and missionary. The number of decently dressed 
heathens who flock to the humble temple of the only true 
God — the attention and seriousness with which many of 
them listen to the words of eternal life, proclaimed in 
their own language, by the ambassadors of Jesus Christ 
— the praises of Jehovah chaunted in this untutored 
tongue, necessarily produce a lively and joyful impres- 
sion on the pious mind. Of this I saw a pleasing in- 
stance only two Sabbaths since. An officer from one of 
the ships in port — a serious young man — spent the inter- 
val between the English and native services with me at 
the Mission-House. As the congregation began to as- 
semble, he accompanied me to the door of the chapel, 
intending to take leave when the exercises should begin, 
as he was unacquainted with the language, and had been 
already longer from his ship than he designed ; but after 
standing a few minutes, and seeing hundreds of natives 
assembling quietly and seriously from various directions, 
he suddenly exclaimed, while tears glistened in his eye, 
" No ! — this is too much — I cannot go till I worship with these 
heathen /" * 

xxiii. 5. — Although my house be not so with God, yet 
he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered 
in all things, and sure : for this is all my salvation, and 
all my desire, although he make it not to grow. 

' I have been for these two months past and more,' 
said the Eev. Mr Charles, a little before his death, 'in a 
state of great bodily debility, supposed by the doctors to 
be the effects of over-exertion of body and mind. I had 
frequent pains, and was confined to the house ; and I was 
frequently on the bed. I was not fit for anything that 
required exertion either of body or mind, and was recom- 
mended to indulge myself in rest and cessation from all 
work, as the most likely way to restore my strength. 
Through mercy I am now much better, free from pain, 
though still languid. I have found great support from 
the last words of David — the everlasting covenant, " well 
ordered in all things and sure," containing all my salva- 
tion. Though I was feeble, I found strong ground to 
stand upon, and I rejoiced in it. When heart and flesh 



U6 



I. kings n. 



fail, here is strength for my heart, and a portion — all mv 
salvation for ever. I cannot now pen on this paper what 
I saw in it ; but I saw enough, and that for ever. God 
remembered me, and showed me the best things He had — 
a salvation in a covenant made by Himself. This salva- 
tion in a covenant is well arranged, well ordered ; every- 
thing is provided for — the glory of God, His law, and 
government ; and everything which pertains to the safety 
and eternal felicity of those in His covenant. It is all sure ; 
the covenant itself, and all its privileges, are all sure. May 
God the Holy Ghost keep our minds in constant and clear 
views of this covenant ; and we shall be enabled to rejoice 
in tribulation, and in hope of the glory of God.' 

xxiv. 24. — The king said unto Araunah, Nay ; but 
I will surely buy it of thee at a price. 

When Mr Campbell went upon his first mission to 
Africa, the Bible Society sent along with him a number 
of Bibles to be distributed to a Highland regiment sta- 
tioned at the Cape of Good Hope. Arrived there, the 
regiment was drawn out in order to receive the Bibles. 
The box which contained them, and Mr C, were placed 
in the centre ; and on his presenting the first Bible to one 
of the men, he took out of his pocket four shillings and 
sixpence for the Bible, saying, ' I enlisted to serve my 
King and my country, and I have been well and regularly 
paid, and will not accept of a Bible as a present, when I 
can pay for it.' His example was instantly followed by 
all the regiment. 



I. KINGS. 

Chap. i. ver. 6. — His father had not displeased him 
at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so ? 

A young man, as he was going to the place of execu- 
tion, desired to whisper something into his mother's ear ; 
but when she came, instead of whispering, he bit off her 
ear. telling her, that it was because she did not chastise 
him for his faults when a boy, he was brought to such an 
unhappy end. 

ii. J -3. — David charged Solomon his son, saying, I 
go the wa} of all the earth : be thou strong therefore, 



I. KINGS IV. 



147 



and show thyself a man ; and keep the charge of the 
Lord thy God. to walk in his ways, — that thou mayest 
prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou 
turnest thyself. 

The following is said to have been a part of Alfred the 
Great's dying advice to his son Edward : — 'My son. I feel 
that my hour is coming : my countenance is wan ; my 
days are almost done ; we now must part. I shall go to 
another world, and thou shalt be left alone in all my 
wealth. I pray thee (for thou art my dear child), strive 
to be a father and a lord to thy people ; be thou the 
children's father, and the widow's friend ; comfort thou 
the poor, and shelter the weak ; and with all thy might, 
right that which is wrong ; and, son, govern thyself by 
law ; then shall the Lord love thee, and God, above all 
things, shall be thy reward ; call upon Him to advise 
thee in all thy need, and so He shall help thee better to 
do that which thou wouldest.' 

iii. 20. — She arose at midnight, and took my son 
from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid 
it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 

Some time ago, a lady, apparently labouring under con- 
siderable fatigue, called at a cottage in the neighbourhood 
of Turnham-Green, in the vicinity of London, and applied 
for refreshment, for which she tendered a bank-note. 
The inhabitant, a female, left the house for the purpose 
of procuring change, and on her return, with great sur- 
prise, found the stranger gone. On hearing, as she be- 
lieved, the cry of her infant, she hastened to its cradle ; 
but, to her utter dismay, discovered her own had been 
taken away, and another of a tawny colour placed in its 
stead. Cash to the amount of ,£100 was fastened to its 
breast. It is said, the poor woman, influenced by the 
pecuniary gift, has become reconciled to the event, and 
treats the child with maternal fondness. 

iv. 25. — Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man 
under his vine and under his fig-tree. 

Plantations of trees about houses are found very useful 
in hot countries, to give them an agreeable coolness. 
The ancient Israelites seem to have made use of the same 



148 



I. KINGS V. 



means, and probably planted fruit-trees, rather than other 
kinds, to produce that effect. ' It is their manner, in 
many places,' says Sir Thomas Row's chaplain, speaking 
of the country of the Great Mogul, ' to plant about and 
amongst their buildings, trees which grow high and broad ; 
the shadow keeps their houses by far more cool. This I 
observed in a special manner, when we were ready to 
enter Amadavar : for it appeared to us as if we had been 
entering a wood rather than a city.' 

v. 9. — My servants shall bring them down from 
Lebanon unto the sea ; and I will convey them by sea 
in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, 
and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou 
shalt receive them ; and thou shalt accomplish my 
desire, in giving food for my household. 

The rafts, or timber floats, on the Rhine, consist of the 
fellings of almost every German forest, which, by streams, 
or short land carriage, can be brought to the Rhine. The 
rafts, when compacted, are said to be of the following 
dimensions: — The length is from 700 to 1000 feet; the 
breadth from 50 to 90 feet ; the depth, when manned by 
the whole crew, is usually seven feet above the surface of 
the water. Eive hundred labourers of different classes 
are employed, maintained, and lodged during the voyage ; 
and a little street of deal huts is built upon it for their 
reception. The captain's apartments are distinguished 
from the others by being better built. The provisions for 
the voyage, on board such a float, are fifteen or twenty 
thousand pounds of fresh meat, forty or fifty thousand 
pounds of bread, ten or fifteen thousand pounds of cheese, 
with proportioned quantities of other articles. "When the 
float is in readiness for moving, and each individual is at 
his post, the pilot, who stands on high, near the rudder, 
takes off his hat and calls out, t Let us all pray.' In an 
instant there is the happy spectacle of all these numbers 
on their knees, imploring a blessing on their undertaking. 
The anchors, which were fastened on the shore, are now 
brought on board, the pilot gives a signal, and the rowers 
put the whole float in motion, while the crews of the 
several boats attending on the float, ply round it to faci- 
litate the departure. Dort, in Holland, is the destination 
of these floats, the sale of one of which occupies several 



L KINGS Tin. 



119 



months, and frequently produces thirty thousand pounds, 
or more. 

vi. 88. — The house was finished throughout all the 
parts thereof. 

Mr Charles had a strong and ardent desire to procure 
a correct and indefactive edition of the Bible for his 
"Welsh countrymen ; therefore his toil and labour were 
yery great, though without any remuneration from man. 
"While engaged in this work, he acknowledged that he 
had a strong wish to live until it was completed; ; and 
then,' said he. ; I shall willingly lay down my head and 
die.' He lived to see it completed : and he expressed 
himself very thankful to the Lord for having graciously 
spared him to witness the work finished ; and the last 
words ever written by him. as it is supposed, were these, 
with reference to this work — - It is now finished.' 

vii. 7. — He made a porch for the throne, where he 
might judge, even the porch of judgment. 

Sir Matthew Hale, when Chief Baron of the Exche- 
quer, was very exact and impartial in his administration 
of justice. He would never receive any private addresses 
or recommendations from the greatest persons, in any 
matter in which justice was concerned. A noble Duke 
once went to his chamber, and told him. 1 That, having a 
suit in law to be tried before him. he was then to acquaint 
him with it, that he might the better understand it when 
it should come to be heard in Court.' Upon which Sir 
Matthew interrupted him. and said, ; He did not deal 
fairly, to come to his chamber about such affairs, for he 
never received any information of causes but in open 
Court, where both parties were to be heard alike;' and 
would not allow him to proceed. His grace went away, 
not a little dissatisfied, and complained of it to the King, 
as a rudeness that was not to be endured. But his Ma- 
jesty bade him content himself that he was no worse used, 
saying. 1 He verily believed he would have used himself 
no better, if he had gone to solicit him in any of his own 
causes.' 



viii. 22. — Solomon stood before the altar of the 



150 



I. kings vin. 



Lord, in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, 
and spread forth his hands toward heaven. 

Mr Chamberlain, an American missionary, giving an 
account of the opening of a new meeting-hotise in one of 
the Sandwich Islands, says, 4 Probably not few r er than 
four thousand persons w r ere present, including most of the 
great personages of the nation. We were exceedingly 
gratified with the appearance of the King on this occa- 
sion, and also of his sister, the Princess Harieta Keopuo- 
lani. An elegant sofa, covered with satin damask of a 
deep crimson colour, had been placed for them in the 
front of the pulpit. The King, in his rich Windsor uni- 
form, sat at one end, and his sister, in a superb dress, at 
the other. Before the religious services commenced, the 
King arose from his seat, stepped to a platform in front 
of the pulpit, directly behind the sofa, called the attention 
of the congregation, and, addressing himself to the chiefs, 
teachers, and people generally, said, that this house, which 
he had built, he now publicly gave to God, the Maker of 
heaven and earth, to be appropriated to His worship ; and 
declared his wish, that his subjects should worship and 
serve God, obey His laws., and learn His word. The reli- 
gious exercises were appropriate ; and when these were 
closed, the Princess arose from her seat, and, taking her 
stand upon the platform, called the attention of the chiefs 
and people anew to what her brother had said, and ex- 
horted them to remember and obey. She said God was 
the King above, to whom they should give their hearts, 
and render constant homage. At the closing exercise of 
the occasion, the King stood up, and saying, "E pule 
kakou" (let us pray), addressed the throne of grace. In 
this act of worship, using the plural number, he gave the 
house anew to God, acknowledged Him as his sovereign, 
yielded his kingdom to Him, confessed his sinfulness, 
prayed for help, for teaching — supplicated His mercy as a 
sinner, a great sinner, needing mercy, pardon, and cleans- 
ing — prayed to be preserved from temptation, and de- 
livered from evil. He prayed for the different classes of 
his subjects : for the chiefs, teachers, learners, and com- 
mon people ; for the missionaries and foreign residents ; 
and concluded, in a very appropriate manner, by ascrib- 
ing unto God the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, 
to the world everlasting.' 



I. KINGS XI. 



151 



ix. 4, 5. — If thou wilt keep my statutes and my 
judgments — then I will establish the throne of thy 
kingdom upon Israel for ever. 

When his Majesty George III. came to the crown, his 
speech from the throne was worthy of the sovereign of a 
free people : — ' The civil and religious rights of my lov- 
ing subjects/ said the monarch, 'are equally dear to me 
with the most valuable prerogatives of my crown : and as 
the surest foundation of the whole, and the best means to 
draw dow r n the Divine favour upon my reign, it is my 
fixed purpose to countenance and encourage the practice 
of true religion and virtue.' In consonance with this de- 
claration, his Majesty soon after issued a proclamation 
against vice among the high and the low ; and his public 
regard to the rights of conscience, as well as the whole 
tenor of his private conduct, were a practical comment 
on his speech during the whole of his life. 

x. 7. — The half was not told me. 

A minister once preached from the preceding words, in 
a country village in Lincolnshire. They were considered 
in an accommodated view, as appropriate to the felicity of 
the righteous, and also as awfully applicable to the case 
of the ungodly, throughout the endless ages of eternity. 
When speaking on the latter head, a man, exceedingly 
intoxicated, rushed into the room, and sat down, who, 
nevertheless, behaved with decorum during the service. 
After worship was concluded, it was found that he had 
thus intruded himself in consequence of a wager. Some 
one offered to lay him a tankard of ale that he durst not 
enter in. 1 Yes,' added he, with an oath, ' and if hell-door 
was open, I would go in.' In a few days, Death, the 
king of terrors, arrested his awful progress, cut the brittle 
thread of life, and consigned him over to the retributions 
of eternity. 

xi. 28. — Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour ; 
and Solomon seeing the young man that he was in- 
dustrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the 
house of Joseph. 

A person whose talents had raised him to a high sta- 
tion, went to return his thanks to the minister by whom 
he had been elevated. The minister remarked, 'You 



152 I. KINGS XIY. 

have no thanks to re: am to me; I had but the public 

good in view, and you would not have had my approba- 
tion, if I had found any": ; ay mere deserwlng of than 
yourself.' 

sdi. 7. — If thou wilt be a servant unto this people 
this cay. and wilt serve them, and answer them, and 
speak good words to them, then they will be thy ser- 
vants for ever. 

Some courtiers observed to the Emperor Sigismond, 
that, instead of destroying his conquered foes, he ad- 
mitt-:- 1 them t: favour. 'Do I not.' rep lied the monarch. 
1 effectually destroy my enemies, when I make them my 
friends ? \ 

xlii, SO. — They mourned over him. saying, Alas, my 

brother ! 

Mr Fountain, a missionary in the East Indies, says, 
' One morning I heard a great noise, and found a number 
of women and girls assembled to lament oyer the grave 
of a lad, who had been killed by a wild buffalo ten days 
before. The mother sat on the earth at one end of the 
grave, leaning upon it, and exclaiming, u O, my child ! 
O, my child ! " At the other end of the grave sat another 
female, expressing her grief in a similar manner. ' 

xiv. 13. — In him there is found some good thing 
1 the L:-rd G o a of Israel in the house of Jero- 
boam. 

■ What do you do, Mrs More.' said a person in com- 
pany with that pious ana talented lady. ; when young 
ladies come to you with their aifhculties ? Suppose for 
instance, they have been brought up in a practically irre- 
ligious, though, perhaps, decorous circle; but, by the 
blessing :u God. religion has touched them hearts : their 
affections are set upon things above, and not upon things 
cm the earth : they feel the importance of the soul and of 



eternity : but their friends and connections, perhaps their 
own parents, oppose their conscientious feelings. The 
Bible tells them to come out from the world, and they 
wish to do so ; but their friends wish rhem to live in it, 
and hence arise what appears to them conflicting obliga- 
tions ; they know not how to reconcile their duty to God 



I. KINGS XVII. 



153 



with their duty to their parents ; and they find much 
distress of mind in being expected to join in gay parties, 
to attend various public amusements, and Sabbath din- 
ners, Sabbath drives, and so forth.' ' It is a very affecting 
case,' she would say, ' but I always tell them to be very 
meek, very dutiful, very amiable, very patient, to pray 
much, and never to give unnecessary cause of offence, 
and that God will, in time, make their path clear before 
them.' 

xv. 23. — In the time of his old age Asa was diseased 
in his feet. 

i Asa was sick but of his feet,' says Bishop Hall, ' far 
from his heart ; yet, because he sought to the physicians, 
and not to God, he escaped not. Hezekiah was sick to 
die ; yet, because he trusted to God, and not to physicians, 
he was restored. Means, without God, cannot help ; 
God, without means, can, and often doth. I will use 
good means, not rest in them.' 

xvi. 10. — Zimri went in and smote him, and killed 
him — and reigned in his stead. — See 2 Kings ix. 31. 

The cruel Al Montaser, having assassinated his father, 
was afterwards haunted by remorse. As he was one day 
admiring a beautiful painting of a man on horseback, with 
a diadem encircling his head, and a Persian inscription, 
of which he inquired the meaning, he was told that it 
signified — ' I am Shiunyeh, the son of Kosru, who mur- 
dered my father, and possessed the crown only six 
months !' — He turned pale, as if struck by a sentence of 
death. Frightful dreams interrupted his slumbers, and 
he died at the early age of twenty-five. 

xvii. 6. — The ravens brought him bread and flesh in 
the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening ; and 
he drank of the brook. 

Whilst the cruel persecution, carried on by the Em- 
peror Maximian, was raging, the ancestors of the cele- 
brated Basil, along with a few servants, fled for safety 
to a certain cave in the side of a mountain. There they 
remained above seven years, exposed to the inclemency 
of the weather, and subsisted upon bread alone. But 
that God who fed the Israelites in the desert with manna 



154 



r. KINGS XVIU. 



and quails, directed unprovided and unexpected caterers 
to visit them — namely, a number of fat stags, which ap- 
proached to the place of their retreat, though no person 
was pursuing them. Of these they killed what was 
necessary for their present wants, and conveyed the rest, 
which made no opposition, but went willingly, to a 
place of confinement, to be reserved for future use. 1 So 
true,' adds the pious Witsius, ' is that observation of the 
Psalmist, " The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger ; but 
they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." ' 

xviii. 4. — It was so, when Jezebel cut off the pro- 
phets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred pro- 
phets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them 
with bread and water. 

Mr David Anderson, once minister of Walton-upon- 
Thames, fearing the return of Popery, went, with his wife 
and five small children, to reside at Middleburgh, in 
Zealand. Some time after, he was reduced to the greatest 
distress, but was restrained by modesty from making his 
case known. One morning, however, after he had been 
at prayer with his family, when they were all in tears 
together, because his children asked bread for breakfast 
and he had none to give them, the bell rang, and Mrs 
Anderson found a person at the door, who gave her a 
paper containing forty pieces of gold, which, he said, a 
gentleman had sent her. Soon after a countryman 
brought a horse loaded with provisions ; but neither of 
the messengers would say from whom they were sent. 
Afterwards, money was regularly conveyed to Mr Ander- 
son to pay his rent, and ten pounds sterling every 
quarter; yet, to the day of his death, he never discovered 
who was his benefactor. But Mr John Quick, pastor of 
the English Church at Middleburgh, in 1681, was told 
by a gentleman then in the magistracy, that he carried 
the money to Mr Anderson, being then apprentice to 
a pious merchant of the place ; who, observing a grave 
English minister apparently in want and dejected, pri- 
vately inquired into his circumstances, and, with all 
possible secrecy, made him those remittances, saying, 
4 God forbid that any of Christ's ambassadors should 
be strangers, and in distress, and we neglect to assist 
them.' 



I. KINGS XXI. 



155 



xix. 9. — What doest thou here, Elijah ? 

A hand-hill, with the title, 'What doest thou here, 
Elijah?' came into the hands of a German Keformed 
clergyman in Maryland, who was so much pleased with it, 
that he determined to translate it into German for the 
"benefit of a part of his congregation. He had only com- 
menced translating it, when he was called out ; and Mr 

Elijah coming in during his absence, was so much 

struck with the title, that he took it up and carried it 
away with him. The clergyman came in, and learning 
from his wife that he had taken it, went in pursuit of 
him, being desirous to finish the translation. As he 
passed a certain house, he saw him, through an open 
window, engaged with some ungodly associates in a game 
of chance. The clergyman thrusting his hand into the 
window, struck Elijah gently on the shoulder, saying, 
'What doest thou here, Elijah?' It proved a word in 
season, and was the means of calling him from the 
devious paths of sin and folly, into the narrow way that 
leads to life. 

xx. 11. — Let not him that girdeth on his harness 
boast himself as he that putteth it off. 

' Nothing,' says Bishop Horne, ' can be got, but much 
may be lost, by triumphing before a battle. When Charles 
V. invaded France, he lost his generals and a great part 
of his army by famine and disease ; and returned baffled 
and thoroughly mortified from an enterprise which he be- 
gan with such confidence of its happy issue, that he desired 
Paul Jovius, the historian, to make a large provision of 
paper sufficient to record the victories which he was going 
to acquire.' 

xxi. 2. — Ahab spake unto Naboth,, saying, Give me 
thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, 
because it is near unto my house ; and I will give thee 
for it a better vineyard than it ; or, if it seem good to 
thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. 

Near Potsdam, in the reign of Frederick the Great, was 
a mill which interfered with a view, from the windows of 
Sans Souci. Annoyed by this eye-sore to his favourite 
residence, the King sent to inquire the price for which 
the mill would be sold by the owner. ' For no price,' was 



156 i. kings xxn. 



the reply of the sturdy Prussian ; and, in a moment of 
anger, Frederick gave orders that the mill should be 
pulled down. 1 The King may do this,' said the miller, 
quietly folding his arms, ' but there are laws in Prussia 
and forthwith he commenced proceedings against the 
monarch, the result of which was, that the Court sen- 
tenced Frederick to rebuild the mill, and to pay besides a 
large sum of money as compensation for the injury which 
he had done. The King was mortified, but had the mag- 
nanimity to say, addressing himself to his courtiers, * I am 
glad to find that just laws and upright judges exist in my 
kingdom.' About five or six years ago, the present head 
of the honest miller's family, who had in due course of 
time succeeded to the hereditary possession of his little 
estate, finding himself, after a long struggle with losses 
occasioned by that war which brought ruin into many a 
house besides his own, involved in pecuniary difficulties 
that had become insurmountable, wrote to the present 
King of Prussia, reminding him of the refusal experienced 
by Frederick the Great at the hands of his ancestor, and 
stating that, if his Majesty now entertained a similar de- 
sire to obtain possession of the property, it would be very 
agreeable to him, in his present embarrassed circum- 
stances, to sell the mill. The King immediately wrote, 
with his own hand, the following reply : — 

' My Dear Neighbour, — I cannot allow you to sell 
the mill, it must remain in your possession as long as one 
member of your family exists ; for it belongs to the his- 
tory of Prussia. I lament, however, to hear that you are 
in circumstances of embarrassment : and I therefore send 
you 6000 dollars (about £1000 sterling), to arrange your 
affairs, in the hope that this sum will be sufficient for the 
purpose. Consider me always your affectionate neighbour, 

1 Frederick William/ 

xxii. 34. — A certain man drew a bow at a venture, 
and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the 
harness. 

Speed, in his history of Britain, informs us, that 
Eichard I. was besieging a castle with his army, when the 
besieged offered to surrender if he would grant them 
quarter. He, however, refused their request, and threat- 
ened to hang every one of them. Upon this, a certain 



II. KINGS II. 



soldier on the ramparts charged his bow with a square 
arrow, and, praying that God would vouchsafe to direct 
the shot, and deliver the innocent from oppression, he 
discharged the shaft upon the ranks of the besiegers. 
The arrow struck the King himself, inflicting a wound of 
which he soon afterwards died, and the objects of his 
vengeance were thus delivered. 



II. KINGS. 

Chap. i. ver. 14. — Behold, there came fire down 
from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the for- 
mer fifties with their fifties : therefore let my life now 
be precious in thy sight. 

In 1682, some soldiers came to break up a meeting 
where Mr Browning, who had been ejected from Des- 
borough, in Northamptonshire, was, and to apprehend 
him. The constable of the place, who was present, ad- 
monished them to be well advised in what they did — 
i For,' said he, 6 when Sir was alive, he eagerly pro- 
secuted these meetings, and engaged eight soldiers of the 
country troop to assist him, whereof myself was one. Sir 

himself is dead ; six of the soldiers are dead ; some 

of them were hanged, and some of them broke their 
necks ; and I myself fell off my horse, and broke my col- 
lar-bone, in the act of persecuting them. This has given 
me such a warning, that, for my part, I am resolved I 
will never meddle with them more.' 

ii. 15. — The sons of the prophets came to meet 
Elisha. 

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, there were public the- 
ological exercises, called prophesyings, which appear to 
have been beneficial to both ministers and people. Lord 
Bacon gives the following account of them : — ' The minis- 
ters within a district did meet upon a week-day in some 
principal town, where there was some grave ancient 
minister, who was president, and an auditory admitted of 
gentlemen, or other persons of leisure. Then every 
minister, successively, beginning with the youngest, did 
handle one and the same part of Scripture, spending seve- 
rally some quarter of an hour, or better, and in the whole 
some two hours ; and so the exercise being begun and 



158 



II. KINGS IV. 



concluded with prayer, and the president giving a text 
for the next meeting, the assembly was dissolved ; and 
this was, as I take it, a fortnight's exercise, which, in my 
opinion, was the best way to frame and train up preachers 
to handle the Word of God as it ought to be handled, 
that hath been practised. For we see orators have their 
declamations, lawyers have their moots, logicians their 
sophisms, and every practice of science hath an exercise 
of erudition and initiation, before men come to the life ; 
only preaching, which is the worthiest, and wherein it is 
most dangerous to do amiss, wanteth an introduction, and 
is ventured and rushed upon at the first.' 

iii. 27. — The king of Moab took his eldest son, that 
should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a 
burnt-offering upon the wall. 

Dr Buchanan, giving an account of the procession of 
the idol Juggernaut, says, 'After the tower had pro- 
ceeded some way, a pilgrim announced that he was ready 
to offer himself a sacrifice to the idol. He laid himself 
down in the road before the tower, as it was moving 
along, lying on his face, with his arms stretched forwards. 
The multitude passed round him, leaving the space clear, 
and he was crushed to death by the wheels of the tower. 
A shout of joy was raised to the god. He is said to 
smile when the libation of blood is made. The people 
throw cowries, or small money, on the body of the victim, 
in approbation of the deed. He was left to view a con- 
siderable time ; and was then carried to a place a little 
way out of the town, called by the English Golgotha, 
where the dead bodies are usually cast forth, and where 
dogs and vultures are ever seen. There I have just been 
reviewing his remains.' Dr B. adds — 'I beheld another 
distressing scene at the Place of Sculls — a poor woman 
lying dead, or nearly dead : and her two children by her, 
looking at the dogs and vultures which were near. The 
people passed by without noticing the children. I asked 
them where was their home? They said, "They had 
no home, but where their mother was." Oh, there is no 
pity at Juggernaut! — no mercy, no tenderness of heart 
in Moloch's kingdom.' 

iv. 13. — Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, 



n. KINGS VI. 



159 



or to the captain of the host ? And she answered, I 
dwell among mine own people. 

Joe Martin, an Indian chief now residing in New 
Brunswick, was interrogated a short time ago, by a pro- 
fessional gentleman who holds an important office under 
government, whether he would accept the commission of 
a captain among the Indians, which, he observed, it was 
in his power to procure for him ; to which the Indian 
made the following reply : — ' Now Joe Martin love God, 
pray to God ; now Joe Martin humble ; certain not good 
to make Indian proud ; when Indian proud, him forget 
God: for this reason Joe Martin never must be captain V 
He accordingly declined it. 

v. 16. — As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I 
will receive none. And he urged him to take it ; but 
he refused. 

When great presents were sent to Epaminondas, the 
celebrated Theban general, he used to observe : — 6 If the 
thing you desire be good, I will do it without any bribe, 
even because it is good ; if it be not honest, I will not do 
it for all the goods in the world.' He was so great a con- 
temner of riches, that, when he died, he left not enough 
to discharge the expenses of his funeral. 

vi. 22. — Set bread and water before them, that they 
may eat and drink, and go to their master. 

After the dispersion of the Spanish Armada in 1588, 
Joan Lomes de Medina, who had been general of twenty 
hulks, was, with about two hundred and sixty men, driven 
in a vessel to Anstruther in Scotland, after suffering great 
hunger and cold for six or seven days. Notwithstanding 
the object for which this fleet had been sent, and the op- 
pressive conduct of the Spaniards to the Scottish mer- 
chants who traded with them, these men were most hu- 
manely treated. Mr James Melvil, the minister, told the 
Spanish officer first sent on shore, that they would find 
nothing among them but Christianity and works of mercy. 
The laird of Anstruther, and a great number of the neigh- 
bouring gentlemen, entertained the officers ; and the in- 
habitants gave the soldiers and mariners kail, pottage, 
and fish; — the minister having addressed his flock, as 



160 



II. kings vin. 



Elisha did the King of Israel in Samaria, 'Give them 
bread and water/ 

vii. 4. — If we sit still here, we die. Now therefore 
come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians : if 
they save us alive, we shall live ; and if they kill us, 
we shall but die. 

i It is just a year this day,' says Mrs Judson, 'since I 
entertained a hope in Christ. About this time in the 
evening, when reflecting on the words of the lepers, " If 
we enter into t-he city, then the famine is in the city, and 
we shall die there ; and if we sit still here, we die also ; " 
and felt that if I returned to the world, I should surely 
perish ; if I staid where I then was, I should perish ; and 
I could but perish, if I threw myself on the mercy of 
Christ ; then came light, and relief, and comfort, such 
as I never knew before/ 

viii. 13. — Hazael said, But what! is thy servant a 
dog, that he should do this great thing ? 

One of the early Christians, on being asked by a friend 
to accompany him to the amphitheatre, to witness the 
gladiatorial combats with wild beasts, expressed his ut- 
most abhorrence of the sport, and refused to witness a 
scene condemned alike by humanity and Christianity. 
Overcome at length by the continued and pressing solici- 
tations of his friend, whom he did not wish to disoblige, 
he consented to go ; but determined that he would close 
his eyes as soon as he had taken his seat, and keep them 
closed during the whole time that he was in the amphi- 
theatre. At some particular display of strength and skill 
by one of the combatants, a loud shout of applause was 
raised by the spectators, when the Christian almost in- 
voluntarily opened his eyes. Being once open, he found 
it difficult to close them again ; he became interested in 
the fate of the gladiator, who was then engaged with a 
lion. He returned home, professing to dislike, as his 
principles required him to do, these cruel games ; but 
still his imagination ever and anon reverted to the scenes 
he had unintentionally witnessed. He was again soli- 
cited by his friend, who perceived the conquest that had 
been made, to see the sport. He found less difficulty now 
than before in consenting. He went, sat with his eyes 



II. KINGS IX. 



101 



open, and enjoyed the spectacle. Again and again he 
took his seat with the pagan crowd ; till at length he be- 
came a constant attendant at the amphitheatre, abandoned 
his Christian principles, relapsed to idolatry, died a hea- 
then, and left a fatal proof of the deceitfulness of sin. 

ix. 31. — Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? 

Dr Fordyce, in his Dialogues on Education, relates the 
following striking incident, which he says occurred in a 
neighbouring state. A jeweller, a man of good character, 
and considerable wealth, having occasion to leave home 
on business at some distance, took with him a servant. 
He had with him some of his best jewels, and a large sum 
of money. This was known to the servant, who, urged 
by cupidity, murdered his master on the road, rifled him 
of his jewels and money, and suspending a large stone 
round his neck, threw him into the nearest canal. With 
the booty he had thus gained, the servant set off to a dis- 
tant part of the country, where he had reason to believe 
that neither he nor his master was known. There he be- 
gan to trade ; at first in a very humble way, that his 
obscurity might screen him from observation ; and, in the 
course of many years, he seemed to rise, by the natural 
progress of business, into wealth and consideration, so 
that his good fortune appeared at once the effect and re- 
ward of industry and virtue. Of these he counterfeited 
the appearance so well, that he grew into great credit, 
married into a good family, and was admitted into a share 
of the government of the town. He rose from one post 
to another, till at length he was chosen chief magistrate. 
In this office he maintained a fair character, and con- 
tinued to fill it with no small applause, both as governor 
and judge ; until one day, as he presided on the bench 
with some of his brethren, a criminal was brought before 
him, who was accused of murdering his master. The 
evidence came out fully : the jury brought in their ver- 
dict, that the prisoner was guilty, and the whole assem- 
bly waited the sentence of the court with suspense. The 
president appeared to be in unusual disorder and agita- 
tion of mind ; his colour changed often : at length he 
rose from his seat, and descending from the bench, placed 
himself close to the unfortunate man at the bar, to the 
no small astonishment of all present. ' You see before 
you,' said he, addressing himself to those who had sat on 

L 



162 



II. KINGS XI. 



the bench with him. a striking instance of the ins: re- 
ward of Heaven, which this day, after thirty years" con- 
cealment, presents to you a greater criminal than the man 
just now found guilty.' He then made a full confess:;:: 
of his guilt, and of all Its aggravations : — • Xor can I feel.' 
continued he, ' any relief from the agonies of an awakened 
conscience, hut by requiring that justice be forthwith done 
against me in the most public and solemn manner.' We 
may easily suppose the amazement of all the assembly, 
and especially of his fellow judges. However, they pro- 
ceeded, upon his confession, to pass sentence upon him, 
and he died with all the symptoms of a penitent mind. 

x. 16. — Jehu said. Come with me. and see my zeal 
for the Lord. 

Mr John Fox, the author of the 'Book of Martyrs,' 

was once met by a woman who showed him a book she 
was carrying, and said, 1 See you not that I am going to 
a sermon ?' The good man replied, 1 If you will be ruled 
by me, go home, for you will do little good to-day at 
church. •When, then,' asked she, 'would you counsel 
me to go V His reply was — * When you tell no one be- 
forehand.' 

xi. 12. — He brought forth the king's son. and put 

the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony ; and 
they made him king, and anointed him ; and they 
clapped their hands, and said, God save the king. 

At the corona::-:: oi his Majesty George III., after the 
anointing was over in the Abbey, and the crown put upon 
his head with great shouting, the two archbishops came 
to hand him down from the throne to receive the sacra- 
ment. His Majesty told them he would not go to the 
Lord's Supper, and partake of that ordinance with, the 
crown upon his head; for he looked upon himself, when 
appearing before the King of kings, in no other character 
than in that of a humble Christian. The bishops replied, 
that although there was no precedent for this, it should be 
complied with. Immediately he put off his crown, and laid 
it aside : he then desired that the same should be done 
with respect to the Queen. It was answered, that her 
crown was so pinned on her head, that it could not be 
easily taken off; to which the King replied. 'Wei:, le! :: 



II. KINGS XIII. 



10o 



be reckoned a part of her dress, and in no other light.' 
'When I saw and heard this.' says the narrator, -it 
warmed my heart towards him ; and I could not help 
thinking, that there would be something good found about 
him towards the Lord God of Israel.' 

xii. 2. — Jehoash did that which was right in the 
sight of the Lord all his days, wherein Jehoiada the 
priest instructed him. 

The late Dr Finley, President of Princeton College, 
had once in his congregation a man over whom in- 
temperate drinking had got the dominion. But when the 
pastor discovered the fact, he applied himself most 
anxiously to the reformation of the wanderer. His com- 
manding eloquence in the pulpit, was seconded by most 
earnest and impressive appeals in private. Everything 
was united in Dr Finley, to show the utmost effect of 
talent and piety. — the power of his personal presence — 
his watchful care and tender solicitude — and, when he 
preached on the end of the drunkard, the thunder of his 
eloquence. The effect was irresistible, and the parishioner 
abstained from liquor many years. At length Dr Finley 
fell sick, and the unhappy man. in his turn, showed a 
corresponding anxiety for his minister's health. He often 
sent to inquire how the president was ; and, as the ac- 
counts became more unfavourable, his anxiety became 
distressing. At length the answer came, that Dr Finley 
was dead. i Then,' said he, 4 I am a lost man.' He re- 
turned to his house, resumed his cups, and soon drank 
himself to death. 

xiii. 14. — Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness where- 
of he died ; and Joash the king of Israel came down 
unto him, and wept over his face, and said, 0 my 
father, my father ! the chariot of Israel, and the horse- 
men thereof! 

The Rev. John Gibb of Cleish, in Fifeshire. at one 
time travelled, during a storm, to the extremity of his 
parish, to comfort a godly man in his dying moments. 
The cottage being solitary, and. owing to the inclemency 
of the weather, no other person venturing that evening 
to visit the family, he watched with them all night, per- 
forming with alacrity every kind office in his power ; and 



164 



II. KINGS XT. 



when he returned home next day, remarked that it was no 
small honour to sit up a winter's night with an heir of 
glory, or (in his own homely but expressive language), 
with apiece of heaven' s plenishin. 

xiv. 10. — Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine 
heart hath lifted thee up ; glory of this, and tarry at 
home ; for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt, 
that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with 
thee? 

When Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, was making great pre- 
parations for his intended expedition into Italy, Cineas, 
the philosopher, took a favourable opportunity of address- 
ing him thus : — ' The Romans, Sir, are reported to be a 
warlike and victorious people ; but if God permit us to 
overcome them, what use shall we make of the victory?' 
— ' Thou askest,' said Pyrrhus, ' a thing that is self-evi- 
dent. The Romans once conquered, no city will resist 
us ; we shall then be masters of all Italy.' Cineas added 
— ' And having subdued Italy, what shall we do next?' 
Pyrrhus, not yet aware of his intentions, replied, — 1 Sicily 
next stretches out her arms to receive us.' ' That is very 
probable,' said Cineas, 4 but will the possession of Sicily 
put an end to the war ?' ' God grant us success in that,' 
answered Pyrrhus, 1 and we shall make these only the 
forerunners of greater things ; for then Lybia and Car- 
thage will soon be ours ; and these things being com- 
pleted, none of our enemies can offer any further re- 
sistance.' ' Very true,' added Cineas, 1 for then we may 
easily regain Macedon, and make an absolute conquest 
of Greece; and when all these are in our possession, 
what shall we do then?' — Pyrrhus, smiling, answered, 
' Why then, my dear friend, we will live at our ease, drink 
all day long, and amuse ourselves with cheerful conver- 
sation.' ' Well, Sir,' said Cineas, ' and why may we not 
do all this now, and without the labour and hazard of en- 
terprises so laborious and uncertain ?' Pyrrhus, however, 
unwilling to take the advice of the philosopher, ardently 
engaged in these ambitious pursuits, and at last perished 
in them. 

xv. 16. — Menahem smote Tiphsah, and all that were 
therein, and the coasts thereof from Tirzah : because 
they opened not to him, therefore he smote it. 



II. KINGS XVII. 



165 



i It was in the spring of 1799,' says Dr Russell, 1 that 
the French general (Bonaparte), who had been informed 
of certain preparations against him in the pashalic of 
Acre, resolved to cross the desert which divides Egypt 
from Palestine at the head of ten thousand chosen men. 
El Arish soon fell into his hands, the garrison of which 
were permitted to retire, on condition that they should 
not serve again during the war. Gaza likewise yielded, 
without much opposition, to the overwhelming force by 
which it was attacked. J affa set the first example of a 
vigorous resistance ; the slaughter was tremendous ; and 
Bonaparte, to intimidate the towns from showing a simi- 
lar spirit, give it up to plunder, and the other excesses of 
an enraged soldiery. A more melancholy scene followed 
— the massacre of nearly four thousand prisoners who 
had laid down their arms. Napoleon alleged, that these 
were the very individuals who had given their parole at 
El Arish, and had violated their faith by appearing 
against him in the fortress which had just fallen. On 
this pretext, he commanded them all to be put to death, 
and thereby brought a stain upon his reputation which 
no casuistry on the part of his admirers, and no consi- 
deration of expediency, military or political, will ever 
succeed in removing.' 

xvi. 11. — Urijah the priest built an altar according 
to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus. 

* I was sorry to see,' says Mr Hervey in a letter to Mr 
Ryland, 1 from a paragraph in a late newspaper, that, by 
the command of the prince, the tragedy of Douglas was 
re-acted at the theatre-royal. Ah ! this one source, one 
copious source, of our miseries ! If princes will encourage 
such corrupting sources of entertainment, there never will 
be wanting ministers of the Gospel to write for them, and 
magistrates to attend them. O that the Prince of the 
kings of the earth would give our rulers, and all that are 
in authority, to discern the things that are excellent ! ' 

xvii. 28. — One of the priests came and dwelt in 
Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the 
Lord. 

When the Rev. Mr Charles, of Bala in Wales, met a 
poor man or woman on the road, he used to stop his horse, 



166 



II. KINGS XIX. 



and make the inquiry, ' Can you read the Bible ? ' He 
was so much in the habit of doing this, that he became 
everywhere known from this practice. 1 The gentleman 
who kindly asked the poor people about the Bible and. 
their souls,' was Mr Charles. Meeting one day with an 
old man, on one of the mountains, he said to him, ' You 
are an old man, and very near another world.' ' Yes,' 
said he, ' and I hope I am going to heaven.' ; Do you 
know the road there. — do you know the word of God?' 
' Pray, are you Mr Charles ? ' said the old man. He sus- 
pected who he was from his questions. He was frequently 
thus accosted when asking the poor people he met with 
about their eternal concerns. ' Pray, are you Mr Charles ?' 
was often the inquiry. When he had time, he scarcely 
ever passed by a poor man on the road, without talking 
to him about his soul, and his knowledge of the Bible. 
When he found any ignorant of the word of God, and 
not able to read it, he represented to them, in a kind and 
simple manner, the duty and necessity of becoming ac- 
quainted with it, and feelingly and compassionately set 
before them the awful state of those who leave the world 
without knowing the word of God, and the way of saving 
the soul. He sometimes succeeded in persuading them 
to learn to read ; and the good he thus did was no doubt 
very great. 

xviii. 31. — Thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an 
agreement with me by a present. 

Among eastern nations it has always been usual to bring 
presents when people visit one another ; they never ap- 
pear before a prince or great man, without having some- 
thing to offer. Modern travellers tell us that, even when 
poor people visit, they bring a flower, or fruit, or some 
such trifle. One person mentions a present of fifty rad- 
ishes ; and when Bruce, the Abyssinian traveller, had 
agreed, at the request of a chief, to take a poor sick Ajab 
with him for a great distance, the poor man presented 
him with a dirty cloth, containing about ten dates. Mr 
Bruce remarks, that he mentions this to show how im- 
portant and necessary presents are considered in the 
East ; whether they be dates or diamonds, a man thinks 
it necessary to offer something. 

xix. 22. — Whom hast thou reproached and bias- 



II. KINGS XXI. 



167 



phemed ? and against whom hast thou exalted thy 
voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high ? even against 
the Holy One of Israel. 

Dr Harris, the minister of Hanwell, during the civil 
wars, frequently had military officers quartered at his 
house. A party of them, being unmindful of the reve- 
rence due to the holy name of God. indulged themselves 
in swearing. The doctor noticed this, and on the follow- 
ing Sabbath preached from these words : — 1 Above all 
things, my brethren, swear not.' This so enraged the 
soldiers, who judged the sermon was intended for them, 
that they swore they would shoot him if he preached on 
the subject again. He was not. however, to be intimi- 
dated ; and on the following Sabbath, he not only 
preached from the same text, but inveighed in still 
stronger terms against the vice of swearing. As he was 
preaching, a soldier levelled his carbine at him ; but he 
went on to the conclusion of his sermon, without the 
slightest fear or hesitation. 

xx. 1. — Set thine house in order : for thou shalt die, 
and not live. 

A woman in Suffolk was taken ill, with but small hopes 
of recovery. She had heard or read something about 
setting her house in order, and thinking it referred only to 
earthly things, said to those about her, she blessed God 
she had arranged all her matters, and got everything to 
her liking, except putting a few more feathers into one of 
her beds. If her attention was directed to worldly affairs 
only, while the concerns of her soul were overlooked, 
there is reason to fear she was ill prepared for dying. 

xxi. 6. — He observed times, and used enchantments, 
and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards. 

In a book, entitled, 'A guide to grand jurymen, in cases 
of witchcraft,' written by Mr Bernard more than two hun- 
dred years ago, is the following relation: — c Mr Edmunds 
of Cambridge was one that, for a time, professed to help 
men to goods or money stolen ; and was once by the 
heads of the university questioned for witchcraft, as he 
confessed to me, when he had better learned Christ, and 
had given over his practice that way.. He told me two 
things (besides many other, in a whole afternoon's dis- 



168 



II. KINGS XXIII. 



course at Castle Kinhigham, in Essex), never to be for- 
gotten : — 1st, That by his art he could find out him that 
stole from another, but not himself, 2d, That the ground 
of this art was not so certain but that he might mistake ; 
and so peradventure accuse an honest man instead of the 
offender, and therefore gave it over ; albeit, he said, he 
might have made two hundred pounds per annum of his 
skill.' 

xxii. 10. — Shaphan the scribe showed the king, say- 
ing, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book : and 
Shaphan read it before the king. 

c I reside,' says a Scripture reader in Ireland, ' with a 
very friendly family, in a large and well-inhabited village, 
where all are Roman Catholics, except two families pro- 
fessedly Protestant. The whole of this population never 
heard of the Bible, and are, consequently, very dark and 
ignorant. On the Sabbath, I read a considerable portion 
of it to the family in the morning and in the afternoon. 
They were greatly surprised to see so small a book con- 
tain such wonderful things, and inquired how I obtained 
it, and what country it came from ? I informed them 
it was the Book of God ; that it was written by the holy 
Prophets of the Lord, many hundred years ago ; and that 
it contained an account of the nativity, life, and death of 
the Son of God, etc. They were all perfectly astonished; 
and, after I had read a few chapters in the beginning of 
Matthew, the man of the house ran out in haste to two of 
his next door neighbours, and brought them in to see and 
hear " the Book of God" (for by this name my little Bible 
is now known). These individuals also expressed their 
surprise, and, after hearing me read of the birth, miracles, 
and death of our Saviour, they went out and brought 
their wives to hear the same glorious news/ 

xxiii. 18. — Let him alone : let no man move his 
bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of 
the prophet that came out of Samaria. 

While the troops of Charles V. were quartered at Wur- 
temberg, in 1547, a year after Luther's death, a soldier 
gave the reformer's erhgy, in the church of the castle, two 
stabs with his dagger ; and the Spaniards earnestly de- 
sired that his tomb might be pulled down, and his bones 



I. CHRONICLES I. 



160 



dug up and burnt : but the emperor observed, 1 1 have 
nothing further to do with Luther ; he has henceforth 
another Judge, whose jurisdiction it is not lawful for me 
to usurp. Know that I make no war with the dead, but 
with the living, who still make war with me.' He would 
not, therefore, permit his tomb to be demolished ; and 
forbade any attempt of that nature, upon pain of death. 

xxiv. 4. — He filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, 
which the Lord would not pardon. 

Charles IX. of France was a cruel and persecuting mo- 
narch (witness the massacre at Paris in 1572), and died 
in a very wretched state. He expired, bathed in his own 
blood, which burst from his veins, and in his last moments 
he exclaimed, ' What blood ! — what murders ! — I know 
not where I am ! — how will all this end ? — what shall I 
do ? — I am lost for ever ! — I know it ! ' 

xxv. 27, 28. — Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, in 
the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of 
Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison : and he spake 
kindly to him. 

Mr Howard, the philanthropist, was once honoured 
with a visit from the governor of Upper Austria, accom- 
panied by his countess. The governor asked him what 
was the state of the prisons in the provinces of Upper 
Austria — ' The worst,' he replied, ' in all Germany, par- 
ticularly in the condition of the female prisoners ; and I 
recommend your countess to visit them personally, as the 
best means of rectifying the abuses in their management.' 
'I!' said the countess haughtily, 'I go to prison !' and in- 
stantly both descended the staircase so rapidly, as to 
alarm him lest some accident should befal them. But 
notwithstanding the precipitancy of their retreat, he 
called after her in a loud voice, i Madam, remember that 
you are a woman yourself, and must soon, like the most 
miserable female in the dungeon, inhabit a small space 
of that earth from which you equally originated.' 

I. CHRONICLES. 

Chap. i. ver. 50. — When Baal-hanan was dead, Ha- 
dad reigned in his stead. 



170 



I. CHRONICLES HI. 



Robert, the eldest son of "William the Conqueror, was 
a prince who inherited all the bravery of his family and 
nation, but was rather bold than prudent, rather enter- 
prising than politic. Earnest after fame, and even im- 
patient that his father should stand in the way, he aspired 
to that independence to which his temper, as well as some 
circumstances in his situation, conspired to invite him. 
He had formerly, it seems, been promised by his father 
the government of Maine, a province of France, which 
had submitted to William, and was also declared succes- 
sor to the dukedom of Normandy. However, when he 
came to demand an execution of these engagements, he 
received an absolute denial (of the King's breach of pro- 
mise we do not approve) ; the monarch shrewdly observ- 
ing, that it icas not his custom to throw off his clothes till he 
went to bed. 

ii. 35. — Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his ser- 
vant to wife. 

Harmer remarks, that the people of the East frequently 
marry their slaves to their daughters, when they have no 
male issue, and those daughters are what we call great 
fortunes : That Hassan, who was Kaia of the Asaphs of 
Cairo, that is to say. the colonel of four or five thousand 
men who go under that name, was the slave of a prede- 
cessor in that office, the famous Kamel, and married his 
daughter ; for Kamel, according to the custom of the 
country, gave him one of his daughters in marriage, and 
left him at his death one part of the great riches he had 
amassed in the course of a long and prosperous life. 
4 What Sheshan then did,' adds Harmer, 1 was, perhaps, 
not so extraordinary as we may have imagined, but per- 
fectly conformable to old Eastern customs, if not to the 
arrangements of Moses ; at least it is, we see, just the 
same with what is now practised.' 

iii. 5. — These ^Yere born unto David, Shimea, and 
Shobab. and Nathan, and Solomon. 

A Yorkshire priest, in an alehouse which he used to 
frequent, spoke very disrespectfully of Archbishop Cran- 
mer, saying, that he had no more learning than a goose. 
Lord Cromwell, being informed of this, committed the 
priest to the Fleet prison. "When he had been there for 
a few weeks, he sent a relation of his to the archbishop 



I. CHRONICLES V. 



171 



to beg his pardon, and to sue for a discharge. Cranmer 
immediately sent for him, and, after a gentle reproof, 
asked the priest whether he knew him? The priest re- 
plied 6 No. s He asked him why he should then make so 
free with his character. The priest excused himself by 
stating that he was in drink ; but this Cranmer said was 
a double fault. He told the priest, that if he were in- 
clined to try his abilities as a scholar, he should have 
liberty to oppose him in any science he pleased. The 
priest humbly asked his pardon, and confessed himself 
to be very ignorant, and to understand nothing but his 
mother tongue. 4 ZSTo doubt, then,' said Cranmer, 'you 
are well versed in the English Bible, and can answer any 
questions out of that ; pray tell me who was David's 
father?' The priest, after some hesitation, told him he 
could not recollect his name, 'Tell me then,' said Cran- 
mer, 'who was Solomon's father.' The poor priest re- 
plied, that he had no skill in genealogies, and could not 
tell. The archbishop then, advising him to frequent ale- 
houses less, and his study more, and admonishing him not 
to accuse others for want of learning, till he was master of 
some himself, set him at liberty, and sent him home to 
his cure. 

iv. 10. — Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, 
Oh that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may 
not grieve me ! And God granted his request. 

A man who was executed for the crime of murder, said 
in his last moments, ; Oh, if I had gone to prayer that 
morning when I committed the sin for which I am now 
to die, O Lord God, I believe Thou wouldest have kept 
back my hands from that sin.' 

v. 20. — They were helped against them, and the 
Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that 
were with them : for they cried to God in the battle, 
and he was entreated of them ; because they put their 
trust in Him. 

'This day is one of the greatest Ebenezers in my life,' 
says Colonel Blackadder in his Diary, after the battle of 
Malplaquet. 'We have fought a battle, and, by the 
mercy and goodness of God, have obtained a great and 
glorious victory. TVe attacked the enemy in tneir camp, 



172 



I. CHRONICLES VI. 



a strong camp and strongly entrenched by two days' work- 
ing. The battle began about seven in the morning, and 
continued till about three in the afternoon. It was the 
most deliberate, solemn, and well-ordered battle that I 
ever saw ; a noble and fine disposition, and as finely 
executed. Every one was at his post ; and I never saw 
troops engage with more cheerfulness, boldness, and re- 
solution. For my own part, I was nobly and richly sup- 
plied, as I have always been on such occasions, with 
liberal supplies of grace and strength as the occasions of 
the day called for. I never had a more pleasant day in 
my life. My mind stayed, trusting in God ; I was kept 
in perfect peace. All went well with me ; and not being 
in a hurry and hot action, I had time for plying the 
throne of grace. God gave me faith and communion 
with Himself, sometimes prayer, and sometimes praise, as 
the various turns of Providence gave occasion ; some- 
times for the public, sometimes for myself. The next 
morning I went to view the field of battle, to get a 
preaching from the dead, which might have been very 
edifying, for in all my life I have not seen the dead lie 
so thick as they were in some places. The potsherds of 
the earth are dashed together, and God makes the nations 
a scourge to each other, to work His holy ends, and to 
sweep off sinners from the earth. It is a wonder to me 
the British escaped so cheap, who are the most heaven- 
daring sinners in the whole army : but God's judgments 
are a great deep. I bless thee, O Lord, who bringest me 
back in peace, while the carcases of others are left a prey 
in the fields to the beasts and birds.' 

vi. 31. — These are they whom David set over the 
service of song in the house of the Lord. 

c Dr Watts,' says Mr Montgomery, ' may almost be 
called the inventor of hymns in our language, for he so 
far departed from all precedent, that few of his composi- 
tions resemble those of his forerunners. — Every Sabbath, 
in every region of the earth where his native tongue is 
spoken, thousands and tens of thousands of voices are 
sending the sacrifices of prayer and praise to God, in the 
strains which he prepared for them a century ago, — yea, 
every day " he being dead yet speaketh " by the lips of 
posterity, in these sacred lays, some of which may not 



I. CHRONICLES VIII. 



173 



cease to be sung by the ransomed on their journey to 
Zion, so long as the language of Britain endures — a 
language now spreading through all lands whither com- 
merce, civilization, or the Gospel, are carried by mer- 
chants, colonists, or missionaries.' 

vii. 22. — Ephraim their father mourned many days, 
and his brethren came to comfort him. 

The eldest son of the Rev. Legh Richmond, having, 
contrary to his father's wishes, preferred a sea-faring life, 
went on board the 'Arniston,' a merchant vessel, for 
Ceylon, which he reached in 1815. More than a twelve- 
month after, Mr Richmond received the painful account 
that the vessel had been wrecked, and that all on board 
had perished, with the exception of six persons, whose 
names were specified, but that of his son was not among 
the number. The whole family w r ent into mourning : 
and the father sorrowed for his lost child with a sorrow 
unmitigated by the communication of any cheering cir- 
cumstance as to the state of his mind, and his fitness for 
so sudden a change. Three months afterwards, a letter 
was delivered to Mr Richmond, in the hand- writing of the 
very son whom he mourned as dead, announcing that he 
was alive — that circumstances had prevented his setting 
sail in the 1 Arniston,' of whose fate he seemed to be un- 
conscious ; and communicating details of his present en- 
gagements and future prospects ! The transition of feel- 
ing to which the receipt of this letter gave rise, produced 
an effect almost as overwhelming as that which the re- 
port of his death had occasioned. The family mourning 
was laid aside ; and Mr Richmond trusted he might re- 
cognise in the signal interposition of Divine providence, 
a ground for hope that his child's present deliverance 
was a pledge of that spiritual recovery, which was now 
alone wanting to fill up the measure of his gratitude and 
praise. 

viii. 40. — The sons of Ulam were mighty men of 
valour, and had many sons. 

The Rev. Moses Browne, an excellent minister, wss 
thus addressed by a friend : — ' You have a very large 
family, Sir ; you have just as many children as the 
patriarch Jacob had.' 4 True,' answered the good old 



174 



I. CHRONICLES XI. 



divine, i and I have also Jacob's God to provide for 
them.' 

ix. 28. — Certain of them had the charge of the 
ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and 
out by tale. 

Dr John Barnston, in the reign of Charles L, was the 
judge of a certain consistory court, when a churchwarden 
was sued for a chalice which had been stolen out of his 
house. 4 Well,' said the doctor, 'I am sorry the cup 
of union should be the cause of difference among you. 
I doubt not but either the thief will, out of remorse, 
restore it, or some other, as good, will be sent to you.' 
Accordingly, the doctor, by his secret charity, provided 
another. 

x. 13. — Saul died for his transgression, and also for 
asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to in- 
quire of it. 

Lord Byron, when a boy, was warned by a fortune- 
teller, that he should die in the 37th year of his age. 
That idea haunted him, and in his last illness, he men- 
tioned it as precluding all hope of his recovery. It re- 
pressed, his physician says, that energy of spirit so 
necessary for nature in struggling with disease. He 
talked of two days of the week as his unlucky days, on 
which nothing would tempt him to commence any matter 
of importance ; and mentioned as an excuse for indulging 
such fancies, that his friend Shelley, the poet, had a 
familiar who warned him that he should perish by drown- 
ing, and such was the fate of that highly-gifted but mis- 
guided man. 

xi. 22. — Benaiah went down and slew a lion in a pit 
in a snowy day. 

In the beginning of May 1815, the British army in 
India, from the hot winds and bad weather, became so 
sickly, that the troops were ordered into quarters. 4 On 
the 6th of May,' says the brave officer who is the subject 
of this anecdote, 4 we passed through a forest, and en- 
camped on its skirts, near a small village, the head man 
of which entreated us to destroy a large tiger, which had 
killed seven of his men; was in the daily habit of stealing 



I. CHRONICLES XII. 



175 



his cattle ; and had that morning wounded his son. An- 
other officer and myself agreed to attempt the destruction 
of this monster. We immediately ordered seven ele- 
phants, and went in quest of the animal, which we found 
sleeping under a bush. The noise of the elephants 
awoke him, when he made a furious charge upon us, and 
my elephant received him with her shoulder ; the other 
six turned about and ran off, notwithstanding the exer- 
tions of their riders, and left me in the above situation. 
I had seen many tigers, and had been at the killing of 
them, but never so large a one as this. The elephant 
shook him off ; I then fired two balls, and the tiger fell ; 
but again recovering himself, he made a spring at me. 
I escaped him, and he seized the elephant by her hind 
leg, then receiving a kick from her, and another ball 
from me, he let go his hold, and he fell a second time. 
Thinking he was by this time disabled, I very unfortu- 
nately dismounted, intending to put an end to his exist- 
ence with my pistols, when the monster, who was only 
crouching to take another spring, made it that moment, 
and caught me in his mouth; but it pleased God to give 
strength and presence of mind ; I immediately fired into 
his body, and finding that had little effect, used all my 
force, happily disengaged my arm ; and then directing 
my pistol to his heart, I at length succeeded in destroy- 
ing him, after receiving twenty-five severe wounds.' 

xii. 39. — They were with David three days, eating 
and drinking : for their brethren had prepared for 
them. 

At the restoration of King Charles II., the Rev. Roger 
Turner preached a sermon, which concluded with the 
following excellent admonitions : — 4 Do not drown your 
reason to prove your loyalty ; pray for the King's health, 
but drink only for your own. Go now and ring your 
bells ; but beware in the meantime, that you hold not 
fast Solomon's cords of sin, or the prophet's cart-ropes of 
iniquity, and thereby pull down judgment upon your 
heads. You may kindle bonfires in the streets, but be- 
ware that you kindle not the fire of God's displeasure 
against you by your sins. In a word, for God's sake, for 
your King's sake, for your own soul's sake, be good, that 
you may be loyal!' 



176 



I. CHRONICLES XY. 



xiii. 2. — David said unto all the congregation of 
Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the 
Lord our God, etc. 

Shortly after the defeat of La Hogne, James II. being 
in conversation with the superior of a convent of nuns, 
the lady took occasion to express her sorrow that it had 
not pleased God to hear the prayers so many persons had 
offered up for his success in that expedition. The king 
making no reply, the abbess began to repeat what she 
had said, when the king interrupted her : 1 Madame, I 
heard very well what you said ; and the reason why I 
made no answer was, that I was unwilling to contradict 
you, and be obliged to let you see I am not of your opi- 
nion ; you seem to think, that what you asked was better 
than what it pleased God to do ; whereas, I think what 
He orders is best, and that, indeed, nothing is well done 
but what is done by Him.' 

xiv. 17. — The fame of David went out into all 
lands. 

Boerhaave, who died 1738, in his seventieth year, was 
the most celebrated physician of his age. His private 
virtues, extensive knowledge, and distinguished reputa- 
tion, have been rarely equalled, and never surpassed. 
His celebrity as a public teacher in the University of 
Ley den, drew together crowds of pupils from all the sur- 
rounding countries. A person in China wrote a letter to 
him, addressed in the following general manner : — ' To 
the Illustrious Boerhaave, Europe ;' which, notwithstand- 
ing, was as readily brought to him, as if his residence had 
been particularly specified. 

xv. 29. — Michal saw King David dancing and 
playing ; and she despised him in her heart. 

The Duke of Norfolk, seeing Sir Thomas More, when 
he was Lord Chancellor, sitting in the choir in his parish 
church, singing the service, said, 'Fie, fie, my lord ! the 
Lord Chancellor of England a parish priest, and a paltry 
singing man ! You dishonour the king ! ' No, my lord,' 
replied Sir Thomas, 1 it is no shame for the king if his 
servant serve his Sovereign and Saviour, who is the King 
of kings.' 



I. CHRONICLES XVTI. 



177 



xvi. 43. — David returned to bless his house. 
Baron Auguste de Stael, grandson of Monsieur Neckar, 

Minister of Finance in Trance, was an experimental far- 
mer at Coppet, on the borders of Switzerland, and a truly 
pious man. He visited England in quest of the means of 
improving his race of horses : and one morning, at an 

early hour, he called upon Mr , who was to assist 

him with his advice in the pnrchase of some horses to take 
to Coppet. When introduced, he entered directly into 
conversation upon the immediate object of his visit, and 
which was a very interesting one, for both of them were 
warmly attached to the pursuits of agriculture. His 
friend, however, appeared to the baron to be somewhat 
embarrassed, and at length begged to be excused for a 
little while, only a short half hour, which he invited the 
baron to pass, till his return, in looking over some en- 
gravings which he placed before him. The native polite- 
ness of the baron felt the great delicacy of having thus 
put his friend to inconvenience, and he expressed his 
sorrow that he had thereby rendered it necessary for him 
to apologise. His friend replied, 'You must know, then, 
that this is just the time for our morning family prayers. 
My family and my servants are all now assembled, and 
they wait only for me. You will be good enough, there- 
fore, to pardon my request to leave you ; so soon as this 
duty, which we never omit, shall be concluded, I will re- 
turn immediately to you.' The baron at once said, ' I 
have also a favour to beg of you ; shall I be acting indis- 
creetly if I ask permission to join your family, and so 
unite with them in this pious duty ? ' His friend granted 
with pleasure what the baron had asked with so much 
manifest desire, and he became witness of the serious and 
edifying manner in which the assembled family listened 
to the reading of the Scriptures, and to the prayers offered 
by his friend the head of the family. 4 How valuable for 
me were those delicious moments,' said the baron, ' which 
I passed in the bosom of that happy family, where, when 
I entered, I had no other expectation than to receive 
some adyiee upon the purchase of horses.' 

xvii. 16. — Who am I — that thou hast brought me 
hitherto 1 

The works of the late Rev. John Newton were intro- 

M 



178 



I. CHRONICLES XX. 



duced to the notice of King George III., by the Earl of 
Dartmouth ; and the high estimation in which his Ma- 
jesty held them, was communicated by the same noble- 
man to Mr N., when the worthy minister observed, 'Who 
would have thought that I should ever preach to ma- 
jesty?' 

xviii. 14. — David executed judgment and justice 
among all his people. 

Lord Chief Justice Holt was one of the ablest and 
most upright judges that ever presided in a court of jus- 
tice. Such was the integrity and firmness of his mind, 
that he could never be brought to swerve in the least 
from what he esteemed law and justice. He was remark- 
ably strenuous in nobly asserting, and as rigorously sup- 
porting, the liberties of the subject, to which he paid the 
greatest regard ; and would not even suffer a reflection, 
tending to depreciate them, to pass uncensured, or with- 
out a severe reprimand. He lost his place, as Recorder 
of London, for refusing to expound the law suitably to 
the king's designs. He asserted the law with such intre- 
pidity, that he incurred, by turns, the indignation of both 
Houses of Parliament. 

xix. 13. — Be of good courage, and let us behave 
ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of 
our God. 

An officer of distinction and tried valour refused to ac- 
cept a challenge sent by a young officer, but returned the 
following answer: — 'I fear not your sword, but the sword 
of my God's anger. I dare venture my life in a good 
cause, but cannot hazard my soul in a bad one. I will 
charge up to the cannon's mouth for the good of my 
country, but I want courage to storm hell.' 

xx. 6. — At Gath, there was a man of great stature. 

Maximinus, the Roman emperor, was a man of gigantic 
stature, being reported to have been upwards of eight 
feet high, and of proportionable size and strength. He 
is said to have eaten forty pounds of flesh, and to have 
drunk six gallons of wine, each day. He was of a savage 
and cruel disposition, and a persecutor of the Christians. 



I. CHRONICLES XXIII. 



179 



xxi. 24. — I will not take that which is thine for the 
Lord, nor offer burnt-offerings without cost. 

A little girl at Lyons, in France, asked her mother to 
give her a small sum of money to subscribe to the Bible 
{Society of that city. The mother, who was always anxi- 
ous that her child should consider the ground of her ac- 
tions, explained to her that she would not really herself 
be a subscriber unless it was with her own money ; and 
suggested to her that she might earn a trifle, if she liked 
to do some sewing beyond her usual work. The little 
girl gladly undertook this, and thus became a monthly 
subscriber with her own money. 

xxii. 14. — Behold, in my trouble, I have prepared 
for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents 
of gold, etc. 

Lady Huntingdon, with an income of only L. 1200 a 
year, d*id much for the cause of religion. She maintained 
the college she had erected, at her sole expense ; she 
erected chapels in most parts of the kingdom ; and she 
supported ministers who were sent to preach in various 
parts of the world. A minister of the Gospel, and a per- 
son from the country, once called on her ladyship. TVhen 
they came out, the countryman turned his eyes towards 
the house, and, after a short pause, exclaimed, 1 What a 
lesson ! Can a person of her noble birth, nursed in the 
lap of grandeur, Live in such a house, so meanly furnished 
— and shall I, a tradesman, be surrounded with luxury 
and elegance ? From this moment I shall hate my house, 
my furniture, and myself, for spending so little for God, 
and so much in folly.' 

xxiii. 30. — To stand every morning to thank and 
praise the Lord. 

One of the Moravian brethren, going very early one 
morning to let out their sheep, heard uncommonly sweet 
singing in a tent, and drawing near, found it was the 
head of the family performing his morning devotions with 
his people. Beckoning to the others to come, ' We stood 
still,' say the brethren in their diary, ' and listened to this 
sweet melody with hearts exceedingly moved, and with 
eyes filled with tears, and thought these people were, no 
longer than two years ago, savage heathens, and now 



18a 



I. CHRONICLES XXVII. 



they sing to the Lamb that was slain, so charmingly, that 
it strikes the inmost soul.' 

xxiv. 31. — These likewise cast lots. 

Josephus, the Jewish historian, on one occasion, had 
taken refuge in a cave, with forty desperate persons, who 
determined to perish rather than to yield to their ene- 
mies, and who proposed to kill him first, as the most 
honourable man in the company. When he could not 
divert them from their frantic resolution of dying, he had 
no other refuge than to engage them to draw lots who 
should be killed, the one after the other ; and, at last, 
only he and another remained, whom he persuaded to 
surrender to the Romans. 

xxv. 8. — As well the small as the great, the teacher 
as the scholar. 

Louis IX., King of France, was found instructing a 
poor kitchen-boy ; and being asked why he did so, re- 
plied, ' The meanest person hath a soul as precious as my 
own, and bought with the same blood of Christ.' 

xxvi. 27. — Out of the spoils won in battles did they 
dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord. 

Mr Hooper, one of the assistant missionaries to the 
Choctaw Nation, in North America, relates in his journal 
the following affecting instance of benevolence while at 
Steubenville : — 'What most of all affected our hearts was, 
that a poor African, who, it is believed, is a devout ser- 
vant of God, came forward, and gave a coat, obtained by 
making brooms after performing his task in the field. 
Mr M'Curdy informed us, that both that man and his 
wife are praying souls. They are slaves. O ! is it not 
truly animating, is it not enough to touch the tenderest 
sensibilities of the soul, to see an Ethiopian in such cir- 
cumstances thus moved at hearing the Macedonian cry, 
and thus extending the hand of charity ! Should every 
professed disciple of Christ make such sacrifices as did 
this poor African, at no distant period would the precious 
Gospel be preached to all nations.' 

xxvii. S3, 34. — Ahithophel was the king's counsellor 
■ — and the general of the king's army was Joab. 

Mr Wathen, the celebrated oculist, in one of his inter- 



I. CHRONICLES XXIX. 



181 



views with King George III., observed to his Majesty, 
1 I have often thought of the words of Solomon, " When 
the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice ;" and 
if your Majesty could always appoint servants of that 
character, the voice of rejoicing would be heard through- 
out the empire.' — t Wathen,' replied the King, ' these are 
the men I have sought ; but when I have required their 
services, I have often been disappointed ; for I find men 
distinguished by habits of piety prefer retirement ; and 
that, generally speaking, the men of the world must tran- 
sact the world's business.' 

xxviii. 9. — Thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the 
God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, 
and with a willing mind. 

The Rev. A. Duncan, in his will, says, ' 1 earnestly 
beseech my children, as they would have God's blessing 
and mine, that they set God before their eyes, walk in His 
ways, living peaceably in His fear, in all humility and 
meekness : holding their course to heaven, and comfort- 
ing themselves with the glorious and fair-to-look-on heri- 
tage, which Christ hath consigned to them, and to all 
that love Him. Now, farewell sinful world, and all that 
is in thee ! Farewell dear wife, blessed partner of all my 
weals and woes ! Farewell dear children, now no longer 
mine, for I have in faith turned you all over to the un- 
erring care of Him that gave you to me, in hopes of meet- 
ing you in my prepared habitation above ! Farewell 
Sabbaths, pulpit, and pulpit-work; my delight, my joy, 
my soul's comfort ! Farewell church, and all spiritual 
friends, till I meet you at home in glory V 

xxix. 5. — Who then is willing to consecrate his ser- 
vice this day unto the Lord ? 

A minister of the Gospel, conversing with Lady Hunt- 
ingdon about the wants of a family that appeared to be 
in distress, her ladyship observed, ' 1 can do for them but 
very little. I am obliged to be a spectator of miseries 
which I pity, but cannot relieve ; for when I gave myself 
up to the Lord, I likewise devoted to Him all my fortune, 
with this reserve, that I would take with a sparing hand 
what might be necessary for my food and raiment, and 
for the support of my children, should they live to be re- 
duced. I was led to this from a consideration that there 



182 



II. CHRONICLES III. 



were many benevolent persons, who had no religion, who 
would feel for the temporal miseries of others, and help 
them ; but few, even among professors, who had a proper 
concern for the awful condition of ignorant and perishing 
souls. What, therefore, I can save for a while out of my 
own necessaries I will give them ; but more I dare not 
take without being guilty of sacrilege.' 



n. CHRONICLES. 
Chap i. ver 7. — In that night did God appear unto 
Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give 
thee. 

As a little boy was paring an apple which had been 
given to him after dinner, the following question was put 
to him by a lady : — f Supposing God were to tell you He 
would give you whatever you choose to ask Him for, what 
would you ask Him to give you ?' — ' Do you mean to 
eat ?' inquired the little boy. ' No,' replied the lady ; ' I 
mean of all things you can think of that you like, what 
would you ask Him for?' The child laid down his apple, 
and seemed for a few seconds to be lost in thought ; then 
looking up to the lady, he answered, 1 1 would ask God 
to give me a new heart.' 

ii. 6. — Who am I then that I should build him an 
house ? 

' From low circumstances,' says the late Mr Brown of 
Haddington, 4 God hath, by His mere grace, exalted the 
orphan to the highest station in the Church ; and I hope 
hath given me some success, not only in preaching and 
in writing, but also in training up many for the ministry. 
He chose me to be His servant, and took me from the 
sheepfold, from following the ewes great with young ; He 
brought me to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His in- 
heritance. Lord, what am I, and what is my father's 
house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto V 

iii. 1. — Solomon began to build the house of the 
Lord. 

Kristno, a converted Hindoo, made the following ob- 
servation in a conversation he had with some others : — 
s The Hindoos,' said he, 'when they have built a new 



n. CHRONICLES V. 



183 



house, consider it unclean and untenantable till they 
have performed an offering, and then they take up their 
abode in it. So God, He does not dwell in earthly 
temples, however magnificent — His residence is in the 
heart. But how shall he dwell with man ? The sacrifice 
of Christ must be offered: then the house, the heart, in 
which this sacrifice is received, becomes the habitation of 
God through the Spirit.' 

iv. 22. — The snuffers, and the basons, and the spoons, 
and the censers, of pure gold. 

Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester, in the time of King 
Edgar, sold the gold and silver vessels belonging to the 
church, to relieve the poor people during a famine, say- 
ing, 1 There was no reason that the senseless temples of 
God should abound in riches, while His living temples 
were perishing with hunger.' 

v. 13. — They lifted up their voice with the trum- 
pets, and cymbals, and instruments of music, and 
praised the Lord, saying, For he is good ; for his mercy 
endureth for ever. 

4 Plutarch tells us,' says Flavel, 1 that when Titus Fla- 
minius had freed the poor Grecians from the bondage 
with which they had been long ground by their oppressors, 
and the herald was to proclaim in their audience the 
articles of peace he had concluded for them, they so 
pressed upon him (not half of them being able to hear), 
that he was in great danger to have lost his life in the 
press : at last, reading them a second time, when they 
came to understand distinctly how their case stood, they 
shouted for joy, crying, "A Saviour! A Saviour!" so 
that they made the very heavens ring again with their 
acclamations, and the very birds fell down astonished. 
And all that night the poor Grecians, with instruments 
of music and songs of praise, danced and sung about his 
tent, extolling him as a god that had delivered them. 
But surely you have more reason to be exalting the 
Author of your salvation, who, at a dearer rate, had 
freed you from a more dreadful bondage. O ye that have 
escaped the eternal wrath of God, by the humiliation of 
the Son of God, extol your great Redeemer, and for ever 
celebrate His praises.' 



184 



II. CHRONICLES VII. 



vi. 29, 30. — What prayer, or what supplication 
soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people 
Israel, when every one shall know his own sore, and 
his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this 
house: then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling- 
place. 

The Rev. Mr Nicholson, a pious minister in England, 
was, at a former period of his life, excessively attached to 
dancing and card playing ; and breaking off these, he 
suffered a great conflict. He made many vows, and 
offered many prayers against them ; but was still over- 
come by the power of temptation ; — yet an old puritanic 
saying which he met with in a magazine, forcibly im- 
pressed his mind : ' That praying will make a man leave 
off sinning : or sinning will make him leave off praying.' 
' Well, then,' said Mr N"., ' I will pray against my sins 
as long as I have breath to do it.' The Lord heard him, 
and delivered him from the temptation of which he 
complained. 

vii. 13. — I send pestilence among my people. 

A dreadful plague raged at Moscow, in the year 1761. 
The physicians were, therefore, called together, to give 
their opinion as to the nature of the disease. All, ex- 
cept one, agreed that it was the plague. Measures were 
taken to prevent its becoming general ; and most of the 
principal families quitted the city. But the winter proving 
extremely severe, and few new cases occurring, all fear 
of the plague ceased ; the city was again filled with in- 
habitants. On the 11th of March, the physicians were 
again assembled, the disease having appeared in a factory 
where 3000 persons were employed in making clothes. 
At the end of July, the number of deaths in the city, 
which does not in general exceed fifteen in a day, 
amounted to two hundred ; in the middle of August to 
four hundred ; at the end of August to six hundred ; and 
by the middle of September to more than a thousand in 
a day ! The plague was considered as a mark of the 
Divine vengeance for having neglected the worship of 
God. The deaths continued in the proportion of twelve 
hundred a day, till the 10th of October, when in the mercy 
of God they began to diminish, and by the close of the 



II. CHRONICLES IX. 



185 



year, the plague ceased in Moscow, and in the whole 
Russian empire. Seventy thousand persons are said to 
have been cut off by this awful visitation : nearly one-half 
of the whole population.' 

viii. 18. — Huram sent him ships, and servants that 
had knowledge of the sea. 

When the late Rev. Charles Buck was once preaching 
in Silver Street chapel, a sailor passing along, seeing a 
gateway which seemed to lead to a place of worship, 
thought within himself ' I am shortly going to sea, I shall 
perhaps never have another opportunity ; I will go in.' 
During the sermon, something so deeply impressed his 
mind, that he determined to inquire the name of the 
preacher, which he never forgot. He went to sea, and all 
his impressions wore away ; but after his return he was 
taken ill, and was visited by some pious gentlemen, who 
found him very ignorant. He acknowledged his neglect of 
divine things, but said there was a religion which he 
liked, and that was what he once heard a Mr Buck 
preach, in Silver Street chapel. They continued their 
visits, and at length witnessed his happy death. One of 
his last expressions was, ' I now take my cable, and fix it 
on my anchor, Jesus, and go through the storm.' But 
what makes the circumstance more interesting, is, that 
the landlord of the house where this sailor was lodging, 
was himself brought to a state of repentance, by listening 
at the door to hear what was going on between this man 
and his pious visitors. 

ix. 7. — Happy are these thy servants, which stand 
continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom. 

The advantage of serving in a pious family, and receiv- 
ing the benefit of religious instruction, will appear from 
the last mentioned of the two following cases, which is 
rendered more apparent from the contrast presented in 
the first : — 

Esther and Mary Jones were orphans, who, as soon as 
they were old enough to go to service, were received into 
opulent families. Esther's mistress was a lover of pleasure, 
rather than a lover of God. She ran the round of folly 
and amusement through the week, and on the Sabbath 
received company at home. Her servants had no time 
to attend to their souls, and they soon ceased to remember 



186 



II. CHRONICLES XII. 



that they were immortal. Poor Esther learned of her 
mistress to lore dress, and to play at cards : she fre- 
quented the theatres whenever it was in her power : and 
proceeding from step to step in vice, -she was hurried in 
her thoughtless career into an untimely grave. Her 
sister, meanwhile, had been placed by Providence among 
the excellent of the earth. Morning and evening the 
household was assembled for prayer. A portion of each 
day was devoted to the study of the Bible ; and on Sab- 
bath evenings the master and mistress imparted religious 
instruction to their domestics, and inquired how former 
instructions prospered. Mary soon became a Christian, 
and, by a holy life, manifested her love to her God and 
Saviour. She, too, died young, but her latter end was 
peace ; and to the last she blessed God for having appointed 
her lot in a pious family. 

x. 4. — Ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of 
thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, 
and we will serve thee. 

In answer to a petition of the Lord Mayor and Alder- 
men of the city of London, to George L, in 1718, his 
Majesty said, 'I shall be glad, not only for your sakes, 
but my own, if any defects, which may touch the rights 
of my good subjects, are discovered in my time, since 
that will furnish me with the means of giving you and all 
my people an indisputable proof of my tenderness of their 
privileges.' 

xi. 15. — He ordained him priests for the high places. 
(1 Kings xii. 31 ; He made priests of the lowest of the 
people.) 

When Bishop Andrews first became Bishop of Winton, 
a distant relation, a blacksmith, applied to him to be or- 
dained, and provided with a benefice. 1 No,' said his 
lordship, 'you shall have the best forge in the country ; 
but every man in his own order and station.' 

xii. 2. — Shishak king of Egypt came up against 
Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the 
Lord. 

A noble English captain, who, when Calais was lost 
(which was the last footing the British had in Prance), 
being jeered by a Prenchman, and asked, ; jSTow, English- 



II. CHRONICLES X1Y. 



187 



man, when will you come back to France ?' replied, ' O 
Sir, mock not, when the sins of France are greater than 
the sins of England, the Englishmen will come again to 
France.' 

xiii. 9. — A priest of them that are no gods. 

When the altars were overthrown, and the idols burnt, 
in Huahine, a South Sea island, the image of Oro, their 
principal god, was also demanded by the regenerators of 
their country, that execution might be done upon it. An 
old priest, in attendance on the god, seeing his craft in 
danger, hid the god — a shapeless log of timber — in a cave 
among the rocks. Hautia. the person engaged in destroy- 
ing these remains of idolatry, was not, however, to be 
trifled with, nor could such a nuisance as the pestilent 
stock to which human beings had been sacrifices, be per- 
mitted to exist any longer on the face of the earth, lest 
the plague of idolatry should again break out among its 
reclaimed followers. He insisted upon its being brought 
forth, and committed to the flames, in presence of the 
people, who had but a day before trembled and fallen 
down before it. This was done ; but still the priest him- 
self held to the superstition of his fathers, though he had 
seen their god consumed to ashes by mortal men with 
impunity ; and he ceased not to spurn at the religion of 
the strangers, till one Sabbath morning, when, in con- 
tempt of the day, he went out to work in his garden, on 
returning to his house, he became blind in a moment. 
This awful dispensation appears to have been blessed to 
him, and while blindness fell on his outward, light fell on 
his inward, vision, and his conduct since has been conform- 
able to his profession. 

xiv. 11, 12.— -Help us, 0 Lord our God : for we rest 
on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. 

The late lamented General Havelock was in the habit, 
from a very early period in his career, of instructing the 
men under his charge in the truths of the Gospel, and 
their duty to God. The character thus acquired by his 
corps, and the confidence reposed in them by those higher 
in command, is illustrated by the following incident which 
occurred while their distinguished officer was as yet only 
a subaltern : — During the war in Barmah, the army was 
one day suddenly apprised of the near approach of the 



188 



II. CHRONICLES XVII. 



enemy. The commander-in-chief sent in great haste to 
order the men of a particular corps to occupy at once a 
prescribed post. Imminent as was the danger, the order 
was to no purpose, for the men of that corps were so many 
of them intoxicated that they were unfit for duty. The 
position was embarrassing, and would presently have be- 
come serious. The General knew this well, and he knew, 
too, how probably it could best, at least in part, be met. 
' Then,' said he, when told that his former order was un- 
availing, 4 call out Havelock's saints ; they are never 
drunk, and Havelock is always ready.' The bugle 
sounded; they were immediately under arms, and the 
General's object was achieved by the enemy being re- 
pulsed. 

xv. 5. — In those times there was no peace to him 
that went out, nor to him that came in. 

Of the pious and excellent Mr Shaw, a friend writes, — 
' I have known him spend part of many days, and nights 
too, in religious exercises, when the times were so danger- 
ous, that it would hazard an imprisonment to be wor- 
shipping God with five or six people like-minded with 
himself. I have sometimes been in his company for a 
whole night together, when we have been obliged to steal 
to the place in the dark, and stop in the voice by clothing 
and fast closing the windows, till the first day-break down 
a chimney has given us notice to be gone.' 

xvi. 10. — Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in 
the prison-house, for he was in a rage with him because 
of this thing. 

Mr Rumsey, a pious physician, speaking of his sinful 
infirmities, observed, ' I have to lament the irritability of 
my temper in my old age.' He had been fond of re- 
peating a conversation which he had in the early part of 
his life with a pious friend. He observed to this person, 
that he thought if he arrived at old age, he should be 
subject to fewer temptations than at an earlier period ; 
but his more experienced friend told him, that 1 the 
devil had a bait for every age,' and Mr Rumsey was at 
length fully convinced of the truth and value of the 
remark. 

xvii. 9. — They taught in Judah, and had the book of 



II. CHRONICLES XTIII. 



189 



the law of the Lord with them, and went about through- 
out all the cities of Judah, and taught the people. 

The Eev. S. Blair, and the Kev. William Tennant, were 
sent by their Synod on a mission to Virginia. They 
stopped one evening at a tavern for the night, where they 
found a number of persons, with whom they supped in a 
common room. After supper cards were introduced, 
when one of the gentlemen politely asked them if they 
would not take a cut with them, not knowing that they 
were clergymen. Mr T. pleasantly answered, 4 With all 
my heart, gentlemen, if you can convince us that thereby 
we can serve our Master's cause, or contribute anything 
towards the success of our mission.' This drew some smart 
reply from the gentlemen ; when Mr. T. with solemnity 
added, 6 We are ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; 
we profess ourselves His servants ; we are sent on His 
business, which is to persuade mankind to repent of their 
sins, to turn from them, and to accept of that happiness 
and salvation which are offered in the Gospel.' This 
very unexpected reply, delivered in a tender, though 
solemn manner, and with great apparent sincerity, so en- 
gaged the attention of the gentlemen, that the cards were 
laid aside, and an opportunity was afforded for explain- 
ing, in a social conversation during the rest of the even- 
ing, some of the leading doctrines of the Gospel, to the 
satisfaction and apparent edification of the hearers. 

xviii. 26, 27. — Put this fellow in the prison, and feed 
him with bread of affliction, and with water of affliction, 
until I return in peace. And Micaiah said, If thou cer- 
tainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken 
by me. 

In October 1663, Mr Steel and Mr Philip Henry, two 
Nonconformist ministers, together with some of their 
friends, were apprehended, and brought prisoners to Han- 
mer, under pretence of some plot said to be on foot 
against the government ; and there they were kept under 
confinement some days ; on which Mr Henry writes : — 
6 It is sweet being in any condition with a clear conscience. 
" The sting of death is sin," and so of imprisonment also. 
It is the first time I was ever a prisoner, but perhaps may 
not be the last. We felt no hardship, but we know not 
what we may.' Being soon after dismissed, Mr Henry 



190 



II. CHRONICLES XXI. 



returned to Ms tabernacle with thanksgivings to God, 
and a hearty prayer for his enemies, that God would for- 
give them. The very next day after they were released, 
Sir Evan Lloyd, Governor of Chester, at whose instigation 
they were brought into that trouble, died, as was reported, 
of a drunken surfeit. 

xix. 6. — Jehoshaphat said to the judges, Take heed 
what ye do : for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, 
who is with you in the judgment. 

Peter the Great frequently surprised the magistrates by 
his unexpected presence in the cities of the empire. 
Having arrived without previous notice at Olonez, he 
went first to the regency, and inquired of the governor 
how many suits were depending in the Court of Chancery? 
1 None, sire,' replied the governor. 4 How happens that ? f 
6 1 endeavour to prevent law-suits, and conciliate the 
parties ; I act in such a manner that no traces of differ- 
ence remain on the archives ; if I am wrong, your indul- 
gence will excuse me.' ' I wish,' replied the Czar, 1 that 
all governors would act on your principles. Go on, God 
and your sovereign are equally satisfied.' 

xx. 22. — When they began to sing and to praise, the 
Lord set ambushments against the children of Amnion, 
Moab, and Mount Seir, which were come against Ju- 
dah : and they were smitten. 

We have often heard of prayer doing wonders ; but in- 
stances are not wanting, of praise also being accompanied 
with signal events. The ancient Britons, in the year 420, 
obtained a victory over an army of the Picts and Saxons, 
near Mold, in Flintshire. The Britons unarmed, having 
Germanus and Lupus at their head, when the Picts and 
Saxons came to the attack, the two commanders, Gideon- 
like, ordered their army to shout Alleluia three times over, 
at the sound of which the enemy, being suddenly struck 
with terror, ran away in the greatest confusion, and left 
the Britons masters of the field. A stone monument, to 
perpetuate the remembrance of this Halleluiah victory, is 
said to remain to this day in a field near Mold. 

xxi. 4. — When Jehoram was risen up to the king- 
dom of his father, he strengthened himself, and slew 
all his brethren with the sword. 



II. CHRONICLES XXTTT. 



191 



Upon the death of Selinius the Second, which hap- 
pened in the year 1582. Amnrah the Third succeeded to 
the Turkish empire ; at his entrance upon which he caused 
his fire brothers. Mustapha, Solymon, Abdalla. Osnian. and 
Sinagar, without pity or commiseration, to be strangled 
in his presence, and gave orders that they should be 
burned with his dead father ; an ordinary thing with Mo- 
hammedan princes, who. to secure to themselves the 
empire without rivalship, hesitate not to pollute their 
hands with the blood of their nearest relations. It is 
said of this Amur ah. when he saw the fatal bow-string 
put about the neck of his younger brother, that he was 
seen to weep, but it seems they were crocodile tears, for 
he held firmly to his bloody purpose. 

xxii. 4. — Ahaziah did evil in the sight of the Lord, 
like the house of Ahab ; for they were his counsellors, 
after the death of his father, to his destruction. 

Taylor, the well-known infidel, was boasting one day, 
that the greater part of the youth in Great Britain had 
embraced his sentiments. '0/ said a gentleman present. 
'I have till now been unable to account for the increase 
of juvenile delinquency, but your assertion puts the mat- 
ter beyond doubt.' Taylor, as may easily be imagined, 
was quite confounded, and unable to reply. 

xxiii. 11. — They brought out the king's son, and put 
upon him the crown, and gave him the testimony, and 
made him king. 

Eobert Barclay, the defender of the Quakers, dedicated 
his Apology to Charles II.. and addressed his Majesty in 
the following words : — • There is no king in the world who 
so experimentally testifies of God ; s providence and good- 
ness ; neither is there any who rules so many free people, 
so many true Christians ; which thing renders thy govern- 
ment more honourable, thyself more considerable, than 
the accession of many nations filled with slavish and 
superstitious souls. Thou hast tasted of prosperity and 
adversity, knowest what it is to be banished thy native 
country, to be overruled as well as to rule and sit upon 
the throne — and being oppressed, thou hast reason to 
know how hateful the oppressor is both to God and man. 
If. after all those warnings and advertisements, thou doest 
not turn to the Lord with all thy heart, but forget Him 



192 



II. CHRONICLES XXTI. 



who remembered thee in thy distress, and give up thy- 
self to follow lust and vanity, surely great will be thy 
condemnation.' 

xxiv. 22. — Thus Joash the king remembered not the 
kindness which Jehoiada had done to him. 

At a dinner party at Bath, the Rev. Mr Jay, by whom 
the anecdote was communicated, was lamenting the in- 
gratitude which Mrs Hannah More had recently met 
with from a person he had recommended to her benefi- 
cence, upon which he received a look from her which 
silenced him; and after dinner, drawing him into a corner 
of the room, she said, 1 You know we must never speak of 
such things as these before people, for they are always too 
backward to do good, and they are sure to dwell on such 
facts to justify their illiberality.' She finally added, 1 it is 
well for us sometimes to meet with such instances of in- 
gratitude, to show us our motives ; for if they have been 
right, we shall not repent of our doing, though we lament 
the depravity of a fellow-creature. In these instances, 
also, as in a glass, we may see little emblems of ourselves ; 
for what, after all, is the ingratitude of any one towards 
us, compared with our ingratitude towards our infinite 
Benefactor.' 

xxv. 16. — I know that God hath determined to de- 
stroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not 
hearkened unto my counsel. 

A man at N ew Orleans, set out on a Sabbath morning 
to cross a river, on some worldly business. As he could 
find no boat, but one which w r as fastened to a tree by a 
lock, he attempted to get that. Some persons who were 
present requested him to desist from his purpose. But 
he replied, that he would either go to the other side of 
the river, or to hell. He therefore broke the lock, and 
entered the boat. But he had not gone far, when it up- 
set. The spectators w^ere so impressed that it was a judg- 
ment from God, that they stood amazed, till it was too 
late to afford him any help, and he was launched into a 
boundless eternity, in the midst of his impiety. 

xxvi. 6. — Uzziah went forth and warred against the 
Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath, and the 



II. CHRONICLES XXVIII. 



193 



wall of Jabnehj and the wall of Ashdod, and built 
cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 

'In the time of the Crusades,' says Harmer, ' when the 
ancient city of the Philistines, called Askelon, had fre- 
quently made inroads into the territories of the kingdom 
of Jerusalem, the Christians built two strong castles, not 
far from Askelon ; and finding the usefulness of these 
structures, King Pulk, in the spring of the year of our Lord 
1138, attended by the patriarch of Jerusalem and his 
other prelates, proceeded to build another castle, called 
Blanche Guarda, which he garrisoned with such soldiers 
as he could depend upon, furnishing them with arms and 
provisions. These, watching the people of Askelon, often 
defeated their attempts ; and sometimes they did not con- 
tent themselves with being on the defensive, but attacked 
them, and did them great mischief, gaining the advan- 
tage. This occasioned those who claimed a right to the 
adjoining country, encouraged by the neighbourhood o( 
such a strong place, to build many villages, in which 
many families dwelt, concerned in tilling the ground, and 
raising provisions for other parts of their territories. 
Upon this the people of Askelon, finding themselves en- 
compassed round by a number of inexpugnable fortresses^ 
began to grow very uneasy at their situation, and to ap- 
ply to Egypt for help by repeated messages/ 

xxvii. 2. — Jotham did that which was right in the 
sight of the Lord. 

Julius Drusus, a Roman tribune, had a house that in 
many places lay exposed to the view of the neighbour- 
hood. A person came and offered, that for five talents 
he would so alter it, that it should not be liable to that 
inconvenience. 4 I will give thee ten talents,' said Dru- 
sus, 4 if thou canst make my house conspicuous in every 
room of it, that so all the city may behold in what man- 
ner I lead my life.' It would be well for us to recollect, 
that we are all thus continually exposed to the eye of 
God. 

'Awake, asleep, at home, abroad, 
We are surrounded still with God.' 

xxviii. 15. — The men rose up and took the captives, 
and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among 
them, and arrayed them, and shod them and gave them 



194 



II. CHRONICLES XXIX. 



to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all 
the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to 
Jericho, the city of palm-trees, to their brethren. 

The Rev. TVilliani Gordon, minister of Abbey in Kin- 
cardineshire,, was one of the most ardent of the Scottish 
royalists of 1745. Daring all the troubles, previous to 
the decisive conflict of Culloden, he delivered from the 
pulpit animating exhortations to his flock, to hold them- 
selves in readiness to shed the last drop of their blood in 
defending the thrune, which formed the sole barrier be- 
tween their religious privileges and sweeping destruction. 
Yet when the rebels were scattered, wounded, outlawed, 
and pursued by the arm of justice, this benevolent pastor 
was the bold advocate and agent of mercy, professing, that 
as gratitude for a signal deliverance from ecclesiastical 
despotism and as Christians forgiving their enemies, every 
loyal subject should obliterate all remembrance of the in- 
juries they suffered from the opposite party, and relieve 
their wants and distresses. When the hostile armies were 
known to have moved northward. Mr Gordon ordered a 
large quantity of malt to be brewed into ale. and huge 
piles of oat cakes to be prepared, telling his wife that he 
was sure many unfortunate men must pass that way, and 
all ought to have meat and drink, with dressings for their 
wounds, whatever might be the side they had espoused. 
After the battle of Culloden, great numbers of officers 
and men received refreshments from Mrs Gordon ; and 
every part of the house, except one room, was filled with 
the wounded. 

xxix. 11. — My sons, be not now negligent ; for the 
Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve 
him, and that ye should minister unto him. 

The Rev. T. Charles of Xorth TTales, at a time when 
unemployed in the ordinary work of his ministry, and 
hesitating what steps he should take in a change contem- 
plated by him, had the following striking dream : — The 
day of judgment, with all its awful accompauiments, ap- 
peared to him. He saw millions assembled before the 
Judge ; and what attracted his notice particularly, was 
the trial of the idle and slothful servant, as recorded in 
Matt. xxv. He imagined these dreadful sounds uttered 
from the judgment-seat, — ' Take him, and bind him hand 



II. CHRONICLES XXX. 



195 



and foot, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall 
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' He thought this a re- 
presentation of his own case ; it seemed to say to him, as 
Kathan said to David, ' Thou art the man.' When he 
awoke, he felt greatly alarmed. The dream distressed 
him exceedingly. The fear of being like the idle and 
unprofitable servant greatly harrassed his mind. Having 
such a dream when he was doing nothing, he could not 
but be much affected by it. It bore every appearance of 
being sent as a warning to him ; and, by his subsequent 
activity, he appears to have improved it to the best of 
purposes. 

xxx. 10. — They laughed them to scorn, and mocked 
them. 

Some time ago, a man was tried at Cambridge for a 
robbery committed on an aged gentlewoman in her own 
house. The judge was Baron Smith, a man of an ami- 
able character for religion. He asked the gentlewoman 
if the prisoner at the bar was the person who robbed her ? 
— 'Truly, my Lord,' said she, 'I cannot positively say it 
was he, for it was duskish when I was robbed, so dark 
that I could hardly discern the features of his face.' 
* Where were you when he robbed you ? ' 'I was in a 
closet that joins to my bed-chamber, and he had got into 
my house while my servant had gone out on an errand.' 
1 What day of the week was' it ? ' 'It was the Lord's day 
evening, my lord.' ' How had you been employed when 
he robbed you ? ' ' My lord, I am a Protestant Dissenter ; 
I had been at the meeting that day, and had retired into 
my closet in the evening for prayer and meditation on 
what I had been hearing through the day.' She had no 
sooner uttered these words than the court, which was 
crowded with some hundreds of students, rang with 
a peal of loud laughter. The judge looked round the 
court as one astonished, and with a decent solemnity laid 
his hands upon the bench, as if he was going to rise, and 
with no small emotion of spirit, spoke to the following 
effect : — ' Good God ! where am I? Am I in the place of 
one of the universities of this kingdom, where, it is to be 
supposed, that young gentlemen are educated in the 
principles of religion, as well as in all useful learning ? 
and for such to laugh in so indecent a manner, on hearing 



196 



II. CHRONICLES XXXII. 



an aged Christian tell that she retired into her closet on 
a Lord's day evening, for prayer and meditation ! Blush, 
and be ashamed all of you, if you are capable of it, as 
well you may ; and if any of your tutors are here, let 
them blush also to see in how irreligious a manner their 
pupils and students behave.' And then turning to the 
lady, he said, 4 Don't be discouraged, Madam, by this 
piece of rude and unmannerly, as well as irreligious 
usage ; you have no reason to be ashamed of what you 
have on this occasion, and in this public manner, said ; 
on the contrary you may glory in it. It adds dignity to 
your character, and shame belongs to them who would 
expose it to ridicule.' 

xxxi. 5. — The tithe of all things brought they in 
abundantly. 

At the conclusion of a meeting of a religious society 
connected with Surrey Chapel, a gentleman on the plat- 
form arose and said, ' I hope every one will give a little. 3 
Upon which the venerable Rowland Hill got up, and ex- 
claimed in a voice and manner truly characteristic, ' I 
hope every one will give a deal' 

xxxii. 16. — His servants spake yet more against the 
Lord God, and against his servant Hezekiah. 

There was in a populous Swiss village a pious and ex- 
cellent clergyman, who preached and lived with such 
holy zeal and exemplary piety, that many were converted 
under his ministry. But there lived in the same place a 
wicked and abandoned character, who not only slighted 
all the means of grace, but turned the most serious mat- 
ters into ridicule, and made a laughing-stock of the 
preacher's expressions. One morning he came very early 
to the public house, and began to intoxicate himself with 
liquor, profaning the name and word of God, and ridi- 
culing the term of conversion. 4 Now,' says he, ' I myself 
will become a convert,' turning himself from one side to 
the other, and dancing about in the room with a variety 
of foolish gestures. He quickly left the room, fell down 
the stairs, broke his neck, and expired, exhibiting an aw- 
ful monument of God's most righteous vengeance, which 
sometimes even in this life overtakes those that pro- 
fane His holy name. 



II. CHRONICLES XXXIV. 



197 



xxxiii. 15. — He took away the strange gods, and the 
idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars 
that he had built in the mount of the house of the 
Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the 
city. 

Some years before the revolution in France, a lady, 
who was a bookseller in Paris, attracted by the reputa- 
tion of Father Beauregard, an eloquent preacher, went to 
the church of Notre-Dame to hear him. His discourse 
was particularly levelled against irreligious books ; and 
the lady had cause enough to reproach herself on that 
account, having been in the habit of selling many publi- 
cations which were contrary to religion and good man- 
ners. Interest had blinded her, as it does many others 
in the same line of business ; but penetrated by the ser- 
mon, she was convinced that impious and licentious books 
poison the mind ; and she was compelled to acknowledge, 
that those who print or sell, or contribute to circulate 
them in any way whatever, are so many public poisoners, 
whom God will one day call to account for the evils they 
occasion. Impressed with these sentiments, she went to 
the preacher, and, with tears in her eyes, said to him, 
4 You have rendered me a great service, by giving me to 
see how culpable I have been in selling many impious 
books ; and I entreat you to finish the good work you 
have begun, by taking the trouble to come to my ware- 
house to examine all the books which are in it, and to 
put aside all those which may be injurious to morals or 
religion. Whatever it cost me, I am determined to make 
the sacrifice ; I had rather be deprived of a part of my 
property, than consent to lose my soul.' Accordingly, 
Father Beauregard paid her a visit next day to examine 
her books. When he had separated the good from the 
bad, she took the latter, and, in his presence, cast them, 
one after another, into a great fire she had taken care to 
provide. The price of the works thus consumed amounted, 
it is said, to about 6000 livres. She made the sacrifice 
without regret ; and, from that time, endeavoured to sell 
no books but what might tend to counteract the evil done 
by others. While most will admire this example, few, it 
is to be feared, will follow it. 

xxxiv. 33. — Josiah took away all the abominations 



198 



II. CHRONICLES XXXV. 



out of all the countries that pertained to the children 
of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to 
serve, even to serve the Lord their God. 

The following incident in the life of the late General 
Havelock, occurring at an early period of his brilliant 
career, affords some parallel to the conduct of Josiah : — 
There is in Rangoon a famous heathen temple devoted to 
the service of Boodh, which is known as 'The magnificent 
Shivey Dagoon pagoda.' It is deemed the glory of the city. 
Of a chamber in this building Havelock obtained posses- 
sion for his own purposes. All around the chamber were 
smaller images of Boodh, in the usual position, sitting 
with their legs gathered up and crossed, and the hands 
resting on the lap in symbol and expression of repose. 
No great changes were necessary to prepare the place for 
Christian service. Accordingly it was announced that 
that would be the place of meeting. An officer relates 
that as he was wandering round about the pagoda on 
one occasion, he heard the sound, strange enough as he 
thought, of singing. He listened and found that it was 
certainly psalm singing. He determined to follow the 
sound to its source, and started for the purpose. At 
length he reached the chamber, and what should meet 
his eye but Havelock with his Bible and hymn-book be- 
fore him, and more than a hundred men seated around 
him, giving earnest heed to his proclamation to them of 
the glad tidings of great joy ! How had they got their 
light by which to read, for the place was in dark shade ? 
They had obtained lamps for the purpose, and putting 
them in order, had lit them and placed them one by one 
in an idol's lap. There they were, those dumb but signi- 
ficant lamp-bearers, in constant use ; and they were 
there, we maybe well assured, to suggest stirring thoughts 
to the lieutenant and his men. 

xxxv. 24. — All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for 
Josiah. 

The Rev. James Hervey was buried under the middle 
of the communion-table in the chancel of Weston-Favel, 
on Friday the 28th of December 1758, in the presence of 
a numerous congregation, full of regret for the loss of so 
excellent a pastor. A person who was present says, 4 Mr 
Maddock (Mr Hervey's curate) was in tears ; some were 



EZRA 1. 



109 



wringing their hands, others sobbing ; many were silently 
weeping, but all seemed inwardly and sincerely grieved, 
as their looks sufficiently testified ; bearing a visible wit- 
ness of his worth and their sorrow.' 

xxxvi. 16. — They mocked the messengers of God, 
and despised his words, and misused his prophets. 

' I have generally/ says one of the Baptist missionaries 
in India, 4 been three or four hours every day in actual 
contact with the people. Frequently I go and return in 
good spirits, but sometimes I am low enough. Good 
spirits are commonly necessary to dealing with my poor 
people, for there is generally a great deal among them 
that is -very provoking. I frequently tell them that it is 
a regard to their welfare that leads me to do as I do ; 
and the declaration is received with a sneer. On two or 
three occasions, a number of little children have been 
officiously seated before me, as an intimation that I say 
nothing worthy the attention of men. The people often 
call after me as I go about : One cries, " Juggernaut ! 
Juggernaut !" another perhaps says with a contemptuous 
smile, " Won't you give me a book ?" Soon after, per- 
haps a third says, " Sahib ! I will worship Jesus Christ ?" 
and a fourth exclaims, "Victory to Juggernaut the 
Ruler !" Among these infatuated people, I fear that the 
utmost propriety in spirit and demeanour would be no 
protection from very frequent insults. In spite of the 
most affectionate addresses of which I am capable, and in 
the midst of them, the people, in malicious derision, shout, 
" Juggernaut ! Juggernaut!" and seem determined, as it 
were, with one heart and voice, to support their idols, 
and resist Jesus Christ. I hope He will, ere long, act for 
Himself ; and then floods of pious sorrow will stream from 
the haughtiest eyes, and the grace now scorned will be 
sought with successful earnestness. 



EZRA. 

Chap. i. ver. 4. — The free-will offering for the house 
of God. 

4 It has been frequently wished by Christians, says the 
late Dr Payson of America, ' that there were some rule 
laid down in the Bible, fixing the proportion of their pro- 



200 



EZRA III. 



perty which they ought to contribute to religious uses. 
This is as if a child should go to his father and say. 
" Father, how many times in the day must I come to you 
with some testimonial of my love ? How often will it be 
necessary to show my affection for you?"' The father 
would of course reply, "Just as often as your feelings 
prompt you. my child, and no oftener." J ust so Christ 
says to His people : M Look at Me, and see what I have 
done and suffered for you, and then give Me just what 
you think I deserve. I do not wish anything forced/' ' 

ii. 68. — Some of the chief of the fathers, when they 
came to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem, 
offered freely for the house of God. to set it up in its 
place. 

£ I happened,' says Dr Franklin, 1 to attend one of Mr 
Whitefield's sermons, in the course of which I perceived 
he intended to finish with a collection, and I silently 
resolved he should get nothing from me. I had in my 
pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver 
dollars, and five pistoles of gold. As he proceeded. I 
began to soften, and concluded to give the copper. Another 
stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and de- 
termined me to give the silver : and he finished so admir- 
ably, that I emptied my pockets into the collector's dish, 
gold and all.' 

iii. 3. — Fear was upon them because of the people of 
those countries. 

The Hussites, driven out of their country by persecu- 
tion, sought an asylum in the mountains, the thickest 
forests, and the clefts and recesses of rocks, far removed 
from the society of other men. They kindled their fires 
only in the night, lest their places of retreat should be 
discovered by the smoke. And during the winter, when 
snow lay on the ground, they used the precaution, when 
going out, to walk one after the other, the last person 
dragging a bush after him to erase the marks of their 
feet. It may easily be conceived to what hardships the 
Brethren must have been exposed during this period. 
Yet all the privations and sufferings they endured were 
amply compensated to them by the rewards of a good 
conscience, and the divine corsolations they derived from 



EZRA V. 



201 



the perusal of the Scriptures, and from spiritual conversa- 
tion, In these exercises they often spent whole nights. 

iv. 15. — This city is a rebellious city, and hurtful 
unto kings and provinces, and they have moved sedi- 
tion within the same. 

It was a frequent charge brought against the Noncon- 
formist ministers, that they were a factious and turbulent 
people ; that their meetings were for the sowing of sedi- 
tion and discontent, and such like. The clergyman of 
TThitewell Chapel, where Mr Philip Henry used to at- 
tend, was sometimes an accuser of these good men. Re- 
ferring to an occasion of this kind, Mr Henry writes : — 
'Mr Green at chapel to-day seemed to say something 
with reflection ; "Mark them that cause divisions, serv- 
ing their own belly.'" 'Lord,' adds the good man, 'I can 
oniy appeal to Thee, and say. If I seek myself in what I 
do. or my own things, and not the good of souls, and the 
advancement of Thy glory ; if I do it in any respect to 
divide, then fill my face with shame, and let my enemies 
have power over me. But if otherwise, Lord, take my 
part, and plead my cause, and clear my integrity, for Thy 
mercy's sake.' 

v. 5. — The eye of their God was upon the elders of 
the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease. 

During the revolution in Prance, the Ban de la Roche 
(a mountainous canton in the north-east of that kingdom), 
alone seemed to be an asylum of peace in the midst of war 
and carnage. Though every kind of worship was inter- 
dicted throughout Prance, and almost all the clergy of 
Alsace, men of learning, talents, and property, were im- 
prisoned, — John Frederic Oberlin, pastor of \Valdbach, 
was allowed to continue his work of benevolence and in- 
struction unmolested. His house became the retreat of 
many individuals of different religious persuasions, and of 
distinguished rank, who fled thither, under the influence 
of terror, from Strasburg and its environs, and who al- 
ways received the most open-hearted and cordial recep- 
tion, though it endangered his own situation. 'I once,' 
says a gentleman, who was then residing at TValdbach, 
' saw a chief actor of the revolution in Oberlin's house, 
and in that atmosphere he seemed to have lost his san- 



202 



EZRA VII. 



guinary disposition, and to have exchanged the fierceness 
of the tiger for the gentleness of the lamb.' 

vi. 7. — Let the work of this house of God alone ; let 
the governor of the Jews, and the elders of the Jews, 
build this house of God in his place. 

During the reign of George III., a bill was brought 
into the House of Commons, by Mr Michael Angelo 
Taylor, which would have materially abridged the rights 
of Dissenters; and it actually had gone through two 
readings without opposition, when it was stopped in its 
progress by the liberal interference of the King himself. 
His Majesty sent for Mr "Wyndham, who was then in ad- 
ministration, and said to him, 'You may pass that bill 
through both houses as fast as you please, but I will never 
sign it ;' adding these emphatic words, 'There shall be 
no persecution in my reign.' The bill was withdrawn, 
and no more was heard of it. 

vii. 25. — Set magistrates and judges which may 
judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such 
as know the laws of thy God ; and teach ye them that 
know them not. 

'In the year 1772,' says one, 'I spent the summer in 
London, and being upon a visit to a family at Ware, in 
Hertfordshire, we one day went to Hertford, it being the 
summer assizes. Lord Chief Baron Smith presided on 
the bench, whom I had heard much of, as being a godly 
and spiritual man, as well as an upright and judicious 
judge. The first morning he sat at Nisi Prius, and I 
thought him very sensible and knowing, or what the 
lawyers call learned, in his profession: but the next 
morning he had to try three criminals ; I forget the of- 
fences, but they were all capital, and the prisoners were 
tried separately, and found guilty. The venerable judge, 
in passing the sentence of the law upon them, was very 
solemn. He stated to them separately the aggravation 
of the particular crime of each, and the necessity that the 
laws of the country, and the security of the people, should 
be maintained by the punishment of the offenders, 
"which punishment," he added, "I am now to denounce 
upon you ; this it is painful for me to do, but it is a duty 
imposed on me by my office to pronounce, That you be 



EZRA Till. 



203 



taken from hence to the place from whence you came," 
etc. His subsequent address affected the audience, how- 
ever it might the criminals : — " Prisoners, so we see that 
the law worketh wrath against transgressors, and the 
Divine law on us and all mankind as sinners, who have 
come short of the glory of God. But God, who is rich in 
mercy, hath provided a glorious salvation, in which you 
and 1 may find abundant relief. He sent His own Son to 
seek and save the lost, and to give Himself a sacrifice for 
sin, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, 
but have everlasting life. The blood of Jesus Christ, the 
Son of God, cleanseth from all sin. I am a sinner like 
you ; but pleading that blood. I found mercy ; and there- 
fore recommend that blood to you. Go ye and do like- 
wise." 1 

viii. 21. — I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of 
Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, 
to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little 
ones, and for all our substance. 

The Rev. William Tennant was once passing through 
a town in the State of Xew Jersey, in America, in which 
he was a stranger, and had never preached: and stopping 
at a friend's house to dine, was informed. 4feat it was a 
day of fasting and prayer in the congregation, on account 
of a very severe drought, which threatened the most dan- 
gerous consequences to the fruits of the earth. His friend 
had just returned from church, and the intermission was 
but half an hour. Mr Tennant was requested to preach, 
and with great difficulty consented, as he wished to pro- 
ceed on his journey. At church, the people were sur- 
prised to see a preacher, wholly unknown to them, ascend 
the pulpit. His whole appearance, being in a travelling 
cress, covered with dust, wearing an old-fashioned large 
wig, discoloured like his clothes, and a long meagre vis- 
age, engaged their attention, and excited their curiosity. 
On his rising up. instead of beginning to pray, as was the 
usual practice, he looked around the congregation with a 
piercing eye, and after a minute's profound silence, ad- 
dressed them with great solemnity in the following 
words : — 1 My beloved brethren. I am told you have come 
here to-day to fast and pray : a very good work indeed, 
provided you have come with a sincere desire to glorify 



204 



EZRA X. 



God thereby. But if your design is merely to comply 
with a customary practice, or with the wish of your 
church-officers, you are guilty of the greatest folly ima- 
ginable, as you had much better have stayed at home, and 
earned your three shillings and sixpence. But if your 
minds are indeed impressed with the solemnity of the oc- 
casion, and you are really desirous of humbling your- 
selves before Almighty God, your heavenly Father, come, 
join with me, and let us pray.' This had an effect so 
extraordinary on the congregation, that the utmost seri- 
ousness was universally manifested. The prayer and the 
sermon added greatly to the impressions already made, 
and many had reason to bless God for this unexpected 
visit, and to reckon this day one of the happiest in their 
lives. 

ix. 7. — For our iniquities have we been delivered 
into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, 
to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as 
it is this day. 

The Eev. W. B. Lewis, in a letter of February 1824, 
says, ' Those Jews in Jerusalem who endeavour to obtain 
a livelihood by the work of their hands, are frequently 
forced to give up their time, and to work for the ungrate- 
ful Turk without payment. Sometimes a mere trifle is 
thrown to the Jew ; but, in either case, if he attempts to 
reason with the Turk, he is threatened with the bastinado, 
and I know not what. Rabbi Solomon P. is an engraver 
of seals. In the open street he w r as accosted by a Turk, 
who produced a large stone, and told him to cut out a 
seal. Solomon replied it was not in his power, for he 
only knew how to engrave, not to cut and prepare the 
stone. The Turk thereupon laid hold of him by his 
beard, drew his sword, kicked him, and cut and struck 
him unmercifully. The poor man cried, but there was 
no one to assist him. Turks in the street passed by un- 
concerned ; and the wounded Jew afterwards sought re- 
dress in vain from the officers of justice. 5 

x. 2. — Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning 
this thing. 

An old gentleman once said, ' 1 cannot but lament my 
folly and madness in not obeying the voice of conscience 



NEHEMIAH I. 



205 



in my youth. By this time I might have been an old 
man "in Christ ; but I am not born yet. Unhappy me! 
but, by the grace of God, I will not give it up yet. 
There are promises which I can sometimes lay hold" of. 
God helping me, I will go on to seek his face, and prac- 
tise what I know.' 



NEHEMIAH. 

Chap. i. ver. 4. — I sat down and wept, and mourned 
certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of 
heaven. 

In a sea-port town in New England, lived a pious 
mother, who had six daughters. At the age of sixty, she 
had been for many years the subject of disease, which 
confined her to her house, and almost to her room. To 
a Christian friend she remarked, ' I have not for these 
many years known what it is to go to the house of God, 
in company with His people, and to take sweet counsel 
with them. But I have another source of grief greater 
than this ; one that weighs down my spirits day and 
night, while disease and pain bear my body towards the 
grave. I have six daughters ; two are married and live 
near me, and four are with me ; but not one of them is 
pious. I am alone. I have no one for a Christian com- 
panion. 0 that even one of them were pious, that I 
might walk alone no longer !' Such was her language. 
She was evidently a woman of a sorrowful spirit, be- 
seeching the Lord with much entreaty. Soon after this, 
a revival of religion commenced in the neighbourhood, of 
which her four single daughters were among the first 
subjects. A fifth was soon added to the number ; but 
the other, the eldest, was unmoved. ' Mother,' said one 
of the converts, 'let us all unite in observing a day of 
fasting and prayer for our unawakened sister.' The day 
was observed. Of this, the subject of their prayers had 
no knowledge ; but on the same day, while engaged in 
her domestic concerns at home, her mind was solemnly 
arrested, and she was soon after added to the Christian 
sisterhood. The praying mother lived a few years to 
enjoy their Christian society; and they were followers of 
her who was first removed to inherit the promises. 



206 



NEHEillAH IV. 



ii. 19. — They laughed us to scorn, and despised us. 
The Moravian missionaries in Greenland endured 

much mockery and opposition from the rude inhabitants, 
when communicating to them the knowledge of Divine 
truth. When the missionaries told them they meant to 
instruct them about the will of God, they were met by 
the taunt, 'Fine fellows, indeed, to be our teachers! 
We know very well you yourselves are ignorant, and 
must be taught by others ! ' If they tarried more than 
one night with them, they used all their endeavours to 
entice them to participate in their wanton and dissolute 
sports : and when they failed in this, they mocked and 
mimicked their reading, singing, and praying, practising 
every kind of droll antic ; or they accompanied their de- 
votions by drumming or howling hideously. Nor did the 
poverty of the brethren escape their keenest ridicule, or 
most cutting sarcasms. They even pelted them with 
stones, climbed upon their shoulders, destroyed their 
goods, and maliciously tried to spoil their boat, or drive 
it out to sea. 

iii. 1 — The high priest rose up, with his brethren 
the priests, and they builded. 

Two architects were once candidates for the building 
of a certain temple at Athens. The first harangued the 
crowd very learnedly upon the different orders of archi- 
tecture, and showed them in what manner the temple 
should be built. The other, who got up after him, only 
observed, 1 That what his brother had spoken he could 
do ; ' and thus he at once gained the cause. Such is the 
difference between the speculative and practical Christian. 

iv. 3, 4. — Tobiah the Ammonite was by him ; and 
he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he 
shall even break down their stone wall. Hear, O our 
God ; for we are despised : and turn their reproach 
upon their own head. 

Voltaire boasted, that with one hand he would over- 
turn the edifice of Christianity, which required the hands 
of twelve apostles to build ; but at the present time, the 
very press which he employed at Ferney for printing his 
blasphemous works, is actually used at Genoa for print- 
ing the Holy Scriptures ; so that the very engine he set 



NEHEMIAII VI. 



207 



to work, to destroy the Bible, is now engaged in circulat- 
ing its sacred truths. 

v. 15. — The former governors, that had been before 
me, were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of 
them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver — 
but so did not I, because of the fear of God. 

The late Rev. Robert Hall of Bristol was much grieved 
with the want of economy in managing the finances of 
some of our public institutions. ' When you consider, 
sir,' said he, 1 the sources from which these monies are 
derived, and the objects to which they are intended to be 
appropriated, there ought to be no improvident expendi- 
ture of any kind. I know a Mr , who is employed 

in travelling and collecting for the Bible Society ; he puts 
up at the principal inn in the place where he happens to 
visit, and rather than exert himself to rise early and 
travel in the stage coach, I have heard that he takes a 
post-chaise at the expense of the society. These things 
ought not to be countenanced. I invariably endeavour 
to travel on such occasions, sir, outside of the coach, and 
when, from indisposition, I am compelled to hire a post- 
chaise, I pay the extra expense out of my own pocket/ 

vi. II. — Should such a man as I flee? and who is 
there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to 
save his life? I will not go in. 

When the Danes laid siege to Canterbury, the princi- 
pal inhabitants persuaded Alphage, the archbishop, to 
retreat. ' God forbid, 5 said he, ' that I should tarnish my 
character by such conduct, and be afraid to go to heaven 
because a violent death may be across the passage. God 
be thanked, I do not know that I have given the enemy 
any just occasion to use me ill. 'Tis true I have con- 
verted several of them to Christianity ; but if this be a 
fault, I shall be happy in suffering for it. What ! have I 
disobliged them by ransoming some of my countrymen, and 
by supporting those in their captivity whom 1 was not able 
to redeem ? If you think the Danes are enraged against 
me for reproving them for their immorality and injustice, I 
cannot help that, for unless I give a wicked man warning, 
his blood will be required at my hands. I think it unbe- 
coming my station to desert my countrymen in time of 



208 



NEHEMIAH VIII. 



danger, and make provision for myself. What can I be less 
than an hireling, if, when I see the wolf ready to devour 
my sheep, I presently run away, and leave them to shift 
for themselves ? It is, therefore, my resolution to stand 
the shock, and submit to the order of Providence.' The 
town was soon after taken, and the inhabitants plundered 
and murdered. Alphage could not bear to see the poor 
inhabitants suffer in that manner, and went and begged 
the Danes to spare the people, and turn their rage against 
him. They slew above 7000 of the people, and put the 
bishop in a dungeon for several months. They proposed 
to him to redeem his liberty with the sum of £3000, but 
Alphage could not satisfy the demand. He was put to 
death at Greenwich in 1012. 

vii. 3. — I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jer- 
usalem be opened until the sun be hot ; and while they 
stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them. 

Doubdan, an eastern traveller, returning from the river 
Jordan to Jerusalem, in 1652, tells us, 'That when he 
and his companions arrived in the valley of Jehoshaphat, 
they were much surprised to find that the gates of the 
city were shut, which obliged them to lodge on the ground 
at the door of the sepulchre of the Blessed Virgin, to wait 
for the return of day, along with more than a thousand 
other people, who were obliged to continue there the rest 
of the night, as well as they. At length, about four 
o'clock, seeing everybody make for the city, they also 
set forward, with the design of entering by St Stephen's 
gate, but they found it shut, and above two thousand 
people, who were there in waiting, without knowing the 
cause of all this. At first they thought it might be too 
early, and that it was not customary to open so soon ; 
but an hour after, a report was spread that the inhabi- 
tants had shut their gates, because the peasants of the 
country about had formed a design of pillaging the city 
in the absence of the governor and of his guards, and 
that as soon as he should arrive, the gates would be 
opened.' 

viii. 3. — The ears of all the people were attentive 
unto the book of the law. 

Mr TTaddell, when a missionary in the West Indies, 
thus writes in his journal: — 'After service was over 



XEHEMIAH X. 



209 



and I had gone into a room beside that in which I 
preached, the people, by a messenger, begged I would 
return. Having done so, they all rose up. and several, 
in different parts of the room, in name of the rest, 
begged I would not go away, but reside among them, 
and preach to them the good word. I assured them it 

would make me quite happy to do so ; but that . 

Here they all interrupted me, crying out almost with one 
voice, 44 O stay and make us hear the Gospel ; tell us the 
good word, and we will all hear it.'"' I said that I was 
glad to see them wishing to hear the good word of God, 
and I hoped that they would soon get the blessing they 
wanted, of a minister to live among them, — if not me, 
yet some one else. "Thank you. massa : God bless you, 
massa," they cried out, and then begged I would myself 
stop among them. I said, " If it were the will of God. it 
would afford me great pleasure to do so." ** 0, it is the 
will of God," said they all immediately. I have often 
heard of the Macedonian cry, i; Come over and help as," 
but here I witnessed it.' 

ix. 13. — Thou gavest them right judgments and true 
laws, good statutes and commandments. 

'Tor my part,' says Mr Hervey, 4 1 propose to addict 
myself with more incessant assiduity to this delightful 
and divine study of the book of God. Away, my Homer, 
I have no need of being entertained by you, since Job 
and the prophets furnish me with images much more 
magnificent, and lessons infinitely more important. 
Away, my Horace ; nor shall I sutler any loss by your 
absence, while the sweet singer of Israel tunes his lyre, 
and inspirits me with the noblest strains of devotion ; 
and even my prime favourite, my Virgil, may withdraw, 
since in Isaiah I enjoy all his correctness of judgment, 
and ail his beautiful propriety of diction.' 

x. 31. — If the people of the land bring ware, or any 
victuals, on the Sabbath day to sell, we would not buy 
it of them on the Sabbath. 

Soon after the Eev. Mr Galland came to Holmfirth, in 
the West Riding of Yorkshire, he was grieved at the pro- 
fane custom of buying and selling on the Lord's day, 
and set about reforming the abuse, not without some de- 

o 



210 



NEHEMIAH XIII. 



gree of success. He went through the village, and ob- 
tained a promise from every individual concerned, to 
discontinue the practice if all the rest would. After suc- 
ceeding thus far, he called them all together, and procured 
a joint agreement, that in future they would not buy or 
sell on the Sabbath. 

xi. 14. — Zabdiel the son of one of the great men. 

Air Samuel Hardy, a Nonconformist minister, had a 
peculiar freedom in addressing persons of high rank, 
without anything of rusticity. When Lord Brook lay on 
his death-bed. he went to him. and spoke to this effect : — 
' My Lord, you of the nobility are the most unhappy men 
in the world : nobody dares to come near to you to tell 
you of your faults, or put you in the right way to heaven.' 
Hereby he prepared the way for dealing closely with his 
lordship, without giving him any offence. 

xii. 43. — That day they offered great sacrifices, and 
rejoiced ; for God had made them rejoice with great 

joy- 

' On a Sabbath evening.' says the Rev. Air Stewart in 
his 1 Visit to the South Seas.' 1 while walking the main 
deck, I perceived an open-hearted young fellow, with 
whom I had formed some acquaintance, leaning against 

a gun, and, going up to him. said, Well, J , how has 

the day gone with you ? " One of the happiest I ever 
knew sir," was his reply : u and I have heard many of 
the crew say the same. I never expected such a Sabbath 
at sea ; earth can scarce know a better." Adding, on 
further conversation, "when I had been on board the 
Guerrier several weeks, before you, sir. joined us, without 
any public worship, I began to fear I had made a bad 
choice in coming to this ship ; but I was mistaken ; this 
will be a happy voyage to me ; and I believe the time 
will yet come, when the ship herself will be called the 
happy Guerrier!" His face beamed with pleasure as he 
spoke, and I rejoiced to meet one so warm-hearted and 
seemingly pious.' 

xiii. 17. — I contended with the nobles of Judah, and 
said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and 
profane the Sabbath-day ? 



ESTHER I. 



211 



The late venerable Bishop Porteotts, when on the 
brink of the grave, felt that he could not depart in peace 
till he had expressed his disapprobation of the profana- 
tion of the Lord's day, so prevalent in his diocese. { I 
had for some time past,' he says, ' observed in several of 
the papers, an account of a meeting, chiefly of military 
gentlemen, at an hotel of the west end of the town, which 
was regularly announced as held every other Sunday dur- 
ing the winter season. This appeared to me, and to 
every friend of religion, a needless and wanton profana- 
tion of the Christian Sabbath, which, by the laws both of 
God and man, was set apart for very different purposes ; 
and the bishops and clergy were severely censured for 
permitting such a glaring abuse of that sacred day to pass 
without notice or reproof. I determined that it should 
not, and therefore thought it best to go at once to the 
fountain-head, to the person of the highest and principal 
influence in the meeting, the Prince of Wales. [He was 
then, it is said, wrapped in flannel, and carried to Carlton 
House.] I accordingly requested the honour of an audi- 
ence, and a personal conference with him on this subject. 
He very graciously granted it, and I had a conversation 
with him of more than half an hour. He entered imme- 
diately into my views, and confessed that he saw no rea- 
sons for holding the meeting on Sundays, more than any 
other day of the week ; and he voluntarily proposed that 
the day should be changed from Sunday to Saturday, for 
which he said that he would give immediate orders.' 



ESTHER, 

Chap. i. ver. 8. — The drinking was according to the 
law ; none did compel : for so the king had appointed 
to all officers of his house, that they should do accord- 
ing to every man's pleasure. 

'The evening of this day' (Feb. 25, 1785), says the 
"Rev. David Brown, in his journal, ' was remarkable for a 
debate, in which my sentiments respecting song-singing, 
drinking to excess, etc., were brought to the test. After 
my glass of claret, I declined taking more ; when the cap- 
tain forcibly urged me, and would have taken my glass 
and filled it : but, with a determined air, I told him he 
might attempt as easily to shake Gibraltar as to shake me 



212 



ESTHER II. 



from my purpose. It was replied, "Then you must sing." 
I told them I considered it as inconsistent with my cha- 
racter, and I could not oblige them by a violation of my 
judgment. The captain observed that we ought to ac- 
commodate ourselves to the spirit of the company we sit 
down with, and that it was only good breeding, and 
harmless to do so. I replied that I was a great advocate 
for liberty ; that I gave large scope to others to follow 
their own judgments ; and that I valued myself on this 
prerogative of man. I had opinions I could not part 
with to oblige any company whatsoever ; that man must 
be dastardly and unprincipled, who would, to please 
others, act contrary to his judgment, and thus give up 
the most precious right of human nature. That respect- 
ing the innocency of table-singing. I would not hesitate 
to affirm that some songs were really criminal, and by no 
rules of morality in the world to be justified ; and that to 
me all seemed improper and inconsistent. I added, that 
it was contrary to good sense, as well as good breeding, 
and all the laws of freedom, to press a person after such 
a declaration ; and that I did not doubt but the present 
company, every one of them, would have as contemptible 
an opinion of me as I deserved, should I comply and give 
up my opinion ; and concluded by answering to the cap- 
tain's argument, saying, that I did not believe it would 
give him any satisfaction to hurt my feelings, but that I 
should disoblige him by granting what they had asked. 
To this the captain made a short and proper answer, 
that I should never more be pressed to anything disagree- 
able, or contrary to my judgment, as long as I was in his 
ship. 

ii. 1. — The wrath of King Ahasuerus was appeased. 

Mr P , a solicitor in London, had a shrewd little 

boy of about six years old. The child was playing one 
day when his father came into the room in a violent pas- 
sion, a thing unusual with him. The child was amazed to 
see his father so agitated ; he dropped his play-things, 
looked at his father for a moment, and walked up to him 
and caught his hand, and said, wiih an earnest look, 
' Why, father, you are in a passion, are you not V This 
rebuke instantly dispelled his father's passion, and for 
years afterwards the effect of it remained, and checked 
any improper heat. 



ESTHER VI. 



213 



iii. 2. — All the king's servants that were in the 
king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Hainan. 

An English country clergyman was boasting in a large 
company of the success he had in reforming his parish- 
ioners, on whom his labours, he said, had produced a 
wonderful change for the better. Being asked in what 
respect, he replied, that when he came first among them, 
they were a set of unmannerly clowns, who paid him no 
more deference than they did to one another ; did not so 
much as pull off their hat when they spoke to him, but 
bawled out as roughly and familiarly as though he were 
their equal ; whereas now they never presumed to ad- 
dress him but cap in hand, and in a submissive voice 
made him their best bow when they were at ten yards 
distance, and styled him your reverence at every word. 
A Quaker who had heard the whole patiently, made 
answer, 1 And so, friend, the upshot of this reformation, 
of which thou hast so much carnal glory, is, that thou 
hast taught thy people to worship thyself.' 

iv. 4. — The queen sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, 
and to take away his sackcloth ; but he received it not. 

An ambassador in the East informs us, that he was in- 
vited, with his companions, to dine with an eastern mon- 
arch. The interpreter told them that it was the custom 
that they should wear, over their own garments, the best 
of those which the King had sent them. At first they 
hesitated, and did not like to have their own robes hid- 
den ; but being told that it was expected from all ambas- 
sadors, and that the King would be much displeased if 
they came into his presence without his robes, they com- 
plied. 

v. 11. — Hainan told them of the glory of his riches, 
and the multitude of his children, and all the things 
wherein the king had promoted him. 

A lady whom the Hon. and Rev. W. B. Cadogan was 
one day visiting, having made many inquiries and re- 
marks relating to his birth, family, and connections, ' My 
dear Madam,' said Mr C, ' 1 wonder you can spend so 
much time upon so poor a subject ! I called to converse 
with you upon the things of eternity !' 

vi. 1. — On that night could not the king sleep ; and 



214 



ESTHER VIII. 



he commanded to bring the book of records of the 
chronicles ; and they were read before the king. 

A few years ago, a good man at Gravesend had retired 
to rest late on the Saturday night, having first secured 
the doors and windows of his house and shop. Weary, 
however, as he was with the labours of the week, he found 
it impossible to sleep ; and having tossed about his bed 
for an hour or two without rest, he resolved to rise and 
spend an hour in the perusal of the Bible, as preparatory 
to the engagements of the Sabbath. He went down 
stairs with the Bible under his arm, and advancing to- 
wards one of the outer doors, he found several men who 
had broken into his house, and who, but for this singular 
interruption, would probably, in a very short period, have 
deprived him of the whole of his property. — Unbroken 
sleep, in the general, is a blessing, but sometimes the want 
of sleep is a mercy. The King of Persia was thus led to 
the knowledge of facts that, in the end, prevented the 
massacre of all the Jews in his empire, which had been 
decreed to take place. 

vii. 4. — We are sold, I and my people, to be de- 
stroyed, to be slain, and to perish. 

Don Pedro, one of the Spanish captains taken by Sir 
Francis Drake, being examined before the Lords of the 
Privy Council, respecting their design of invading Eng- 
land, replied, ' To subdue the nation and root it out.' — 
' And what meant you," said the Lords, c to do with the 
Catholics ?' — ' To send them good men,' said he, ' directly 
to heaven, and you heretics to hell.' — 'For what end 
were your whips of cord and wire ?' — 'To whip you here- 
tics to death.' — 'What would you have done with the 
young children ?' — ' They above seven years old should 
have gone the way their fathers went ; the rest should 
have lived in perpetual bondage, branded in the forehead 
with the letter L, for Lutheran.' 

viii. 16.— The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy. 

Cambo, a negro in one of the Southern States of Ame- 
rica, being desired to give some account of his conversion, 
proceeded as follows : — ' While in my own country 
(Guinea), me had no knowledge of the being of a God ; 
me thought me should die like the beasts. After me was 



ESTHER X. 



215 



brought to America, and sold as a slave, as me and another 
servant of the name of Bess was working in the field, me 
began to sing one of my old country songs, " It is time to 
go home;" when Bess say to me, "Cambo, why you sing 
so for?" Me say, ''Me no sick, me no sorry, why me no 
sing ?" Bess say, " You better pray to your blessed Lord 
and Massah, to have mercy on your soul." Me look 
round, me look up, me see no one to pray to ; but the 
words sound in my ears, "Better pray to your Lord and 
Massah." By and by me fell bad — sun shine sorry — birds 
sing sorry — land look sorry, but Cambo sorrier than them 
all. Then me cry out, " Mercy, mercy, Lord ! on poor 
Cambo !" — By and by water come in my eyes, and glad 
come in my heart. Then sun look gay — woods look gay 
— birds sing gay — land look gay, but poor Cambo gladder 
than them all. Me love my Massah some ; me want to 
love Him more.' 

ix. 30. — Mordecai sent the letters unto all the Jews 
— with words of peace and truth. 

A historian who lived at the period of the Norman 
conquest, in mentioning some Kings of England before 
Alfred, with short appropriate epithets, names him with 
the simple but expressive addition of ' The truth-teller.' — 
A good man observed, that peace was so desirable an 
object, that he would sacrifice everything but truth to 
obtain it. 

x. 3. — Mordecai was accepted of the multitude of his 
brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speak- 
ing peace to all his seed. 

Mr Howard, the philanthropist, with the view of pro- 
moting the health and comfort of his tenants, pulled down 
all the cottages on his estate, and rebuilt them in such a 
situation, and on such a plan, as to preserve them from 
the damp of the soil. To each of these neat and simple 
habitations he allotted a piece of garden ground, sufficient 
to supply the family of its occupier with potatoes and 
other vegetables. He always let the cottages thus so ma- 
terially improved, at the original rent of from twenty to 
thirty shillings a-year ; so that there was scarcely a poor 
person in the village who was not anxious to have the 
privilege, which however was not promiscuously or 
thoughtlessly conferred, but uniformly reserved for the 



216 



JOB III. 



industrious, the sober, and the deserving ; and these were 
required, as a condition of their enjoying it, to attend 
regularly some place of worship, and to abstain from 
public-houses, and from pernicious amusements. To se- 
cure their compliance with these rules, he made them 
tenants at will. The natural consequence of these excel- 
lent regulations, was a tenantry distinguished by their 
happiness, order, neatness, and morality ; possessing and 
enjoying a great portion of temporal comfort, and care- 
fully taught the grounds on which to build their hopes for 
eternity — namely, on Christ and Him crucified. 



JOB. 

Chap. i. ver 21, 22. — The Lord gave, and the Lord 
hath taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord. 
In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. 

A pious lady, who had lost a very promising child, was 
one day sitting with her little daughter of about three 
years of age by her side, and conversing with her respect- 
ing the death of her little brother. She told her that 
God had taken him to heaven, and as she spoke she wept. 
The little girl, after a few moments of pensive thought, 

asked her mother, 'Was it proper for God to take H 

to heaven ?' To which she replied in the affirmative. 
* Well, then,' said she, ' if it was proper for God to take 
him away, what do you cry for, mamma?' 

ii. 10. — What ! shall we receive good at the hand of 
God, and shall we not receive evil ? 

The Oriental philosopher, Lokman, while a slave, being 
presented by his master with a bitter melon, immediately 
ate it all. £ How was it possible,' said the master, 4 for 
you to eat so nauseous a fruit ?' Lokman replied, ' I have 
received so many favours from you, that it is no wonder 
I should once in my life eat a bitter melon from your 
hand.' The generous answer of the slave struck his mas- 
ter to such a degree, that he immediately gave him his 
liberty. With such sentiments of gratitude, submission, 
and ready obedience, should men receive sorrows and 
afflictions from the hand of God. 

iii. 19. — The small and great are there. 



JOB V. 



217 



After Saladin the Great had subdued Egypt, passed the 
Euphrates, and conquered cities without number — after 
he had retaken Jerusalem, and performed extraordinary 
exploits in those wars which superstition had stirred up 
for the recovery of the Holy Land, he finished his life in 
the performance of an action, which ought to be trans- 
mitted to the latest posterity. A moment before he 
uttered his last sigh, he called the herald, who had car- 
ried his banners before him in all his battles, and com- 
manded him to fasten to the top of a lance the shroud in 
which the dying prince was soon to be buried. 4 Go,' 
said he, ' carry the lance, unfurl the banner ; and, while 
you lift up this standard, proclaim — "This, this is all that 
remains of all the glory of Saladin the Great, the con- 
queror and king of the empire." ' 

iv. 10. — The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the 
fierce lion. 

Rubens, a celebrated artist, when painting a lion from 
the only living specimen he ever had it in his power to 
study, expressed a desire to see him in the act of roaring. 
Anxious to please him, the keeper plucked a whisker off 
the royal beast, and with such success, that he daily re- 
peated the experiment. Rubens, however, perceived such 
deadly wrath in the countenance of the animal, that he 
begged the man to desist ; the hint was at first regarded, 
but too soon neglected. The consequence was dreadful ; 
the enraged lion struck down the keeper, and lay upon 
him the whole day ; in the evening he was shot by a 
body of guards ; but in the agonies of death the keeper 
was torn to pieces. 

v. 17.— Behold, happy is the man whom God cor- 
rected ; therefore despise not thou the chastening of 
the Almighty. 

Dr Watts, from his early infancy to his dying day, 
scarcely ever knew what health was ; but however sur- 
prising it may appear, he looked on the affliction as the 
greatest blessing of his life. The reason he assigned for 
it was, that being naturally of a warm temper, and an 
ambitious disposition, these visitations of Divine Provi- 
dence weaned his affections from the world, and brought 
every passion into subjection to Christ. This he often 



218 



JOB VIII. 



mentioned to his dear friend. Sir Thomas Abney, in 
whose house he lived many years. 

vi. 15. — My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a 
brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away. 

4 To-day,' says Mr Whitefield in the journal of his first 
voyage to Georgia, ' Colonel C. came to dine with us ; 
and in the midst of our meal, we were entertained with 
a most agreeable sight. It was a shark, about the length 
of a man, which followed our ship, attended with five 
smaller fishes, called pilot-fish, much like our mackerel, 
but larger. These, I am told, always keep the shark 
company ; and, what is more surprising, though the shark 
is so ravenous a creature, yet let it be never so hungry, it 
will not touch one of them. Nor are they less faithful to 
him ; for, as I am informed, if the shark is hooked, very 
often these little creatures will cleave close to his fins, and 
are often taken up with him.' — Go to the pilot-fish, thou 
that forsakest a friend in adversity, consider his ways, 
and be ashamed. 

vii. 16. — I would not live alway. 

Dr Dwight's mother lived to be more than a hundred 
years of age. When she was a hundred and two, some 
people visited her on a certain day, and while they were 
with her, the bell was heard toll for a funeral. The old 
lady burst into tears, and said, ' When will the bell toll 
for me ? It seems that the bell will never toll for me. I 
am afraid that I shall never die.' 

1 How gladly my spirit would part, 
From all that around me I see ! 
There is but one lingering wish in my heart ; — 
'Tis away from the earth and its sorrows to be. 
Oh ! when will the beU toll for me T 

viii. 7. — Though thy beginning was small, yet thy 
latter end should greatly increase. 

Lately died, aged sixty-eight, Eichard Holt, Esquire, 
banker, and father of the Corporation of Grantham. In 
this gentleman there is a strong proof of the effect of in- 
dustry and persevering application co business. In early 
life he commenced with a small capital as a grocer and 
tallow-chandler on the premises where he died ; he was 
but rarely seen except behind his counter, or in his count- 



JOB XI. 



219 



ing-house, where he continued with unabated diligence 
till within a week of his death, leaving, it is generally be- 
lieved, property to the amount of upwards of £100,000. 

ix. 23. — If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh 
at the trial of the innocent. 

At a meeting of ministers in Leicestershire, about 
seventy years ago, among other subjects, one of them 
proposed the above passage for discussion. Deep serious- 
ness pervaded the conversation, while each minister gave 
his thoughts upon the text. When it came to the turn 
of a Mr Christie to speak, he dwelt upon the subject with 
an unusual degree of feeling. He considered it as refer- 
ring to the sudden death of the righteous ; and was ex- 
patiating very largely on the desirableness of such an 
event, and the happy surprise with which it would be at- 
tended ; when, behold, amidst a flood of rapturous tears, 
he took his flight, while the words were still faltering on 
his tongue ! The brethren did not at first perceive that 
he was dead, but thought the strength of his feelings had 
forbid him utterance. At their next social meeting, Mr 
"Woodman preached on the occasion from 2 Kings ii. 11, 
1 And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, 
that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses 
of fire, and parted them both asunder ; and Elijah went 
up by a whirlwind into heaven.' 

x. 15.— -If I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my 
head. 

Some time after Mr Newton had published his Omic- 
ron's Letters, and described the three stages of growth 
in religion — from the blade, the ear, and the full corn in 
the ear — distinguishing them by the letters A, B, and C, 
a conceited young minister wrote to Mr N., telling him 
that he read his own character accurately drawn in that 
of C ; Mr N. wrote in reply, that in drawing the charac- 
ter of C, or full maturity, he had forgotten to add, till 
now, one prominent feature of C's character, namely — 
that C never knew his own face. 

xi. 10. — If he cut off— or gather together, then who 
can harden him ? 

To a lady, who was bitterly lamenting the death of an 
infant child, Bishop Heber related the following beauti- 



220 



JOB XIII. 



ful apologue, as one with which he had himself been 
affected. A shepherd was mourning over the death of 
his favourite child, and in the passionate and rebellious 
feeling of his heart, was bitterly complaining, that what 
he loved most tenderly, and was in itself most lovely, had 
been taken from him. Suddenly, a stranger of grave and 
venerable appearance stood before him, and beckoned 
him forth into the field. It was night, and not a word 
was spoken till they arrived at the fold, when the stranger 
thus addressed him : 1 When you select one of these 
lambs from the flock, you choose the best and most 
beautiful among them ; why should you murmur, because 
I, the good Shepherd of the sheep, have selected from 
those which you have nourished for Me, the one which 
was most fitted for My eternal fold?' The mysterious 
stranger was seen no more, and the father's heart was 
comforted. 

xii. 6. — The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they 
that provoke God are secure ; into whose hand God 
bringeth abundantly. 

Dr Arbuthnot, after commenting on the great riches, 
and unparalleled iniquities of the infamous Charties, con- 
cludes ; ' O, indignant reader ! think not his life useless 
to mankind. Providence connived at his execrable de- 
signs, to give to after ages a conspicuous proof and ex- 
ample of how small estimation is exorbitant wealth in the 
sight of God, by His bestowing it on the most unworthy 
of mortals V 

xiii. 15. — Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. 

The late Rev. John Butterworth, a minister of Eng- 
land, speaking of his religious experiences, says, ' One 
day as I was reading in a book called the " Marrow of 
Modern Divinity," a sentence from Luther was quoted, 
which was this, " I would run into the arms of Christ, if 
He stood with a drawn sword in His hand." This thought 
came bolting into my mind — " so will I too ;" and those 
words of Job occurred — " Though He slay me, yet will I 
trust in Him." My burden dropped off; my soul was 
filled with joy and peace through believing in Christ ; a 
venturesome believing, as Mr Belcher calls it, was the 
means of setting me at liberty ; nor have I ever been in 



JOB XVI. 



221 



such perplexity, respecting my interest in Christ, since 
that time ; though I have had various trials in other re- 
spects.' 

xiv. 10. — Man dieth, and wasteth away ; yea, man 
giveth up the ghost, and where is he ? 

One Lord's day, the Eev. Mr Button of London* 
preached at Harlington, from the above text. After a 
variety of pertinent remarks on the mortality of man, and 
the state of the soul after death, Mr B. suggested that it 
was possible some one or other in the congregation might 
be removed by death that day ; and that being the case, 
it became each one to put the question to himself — 
4 Where am I likely to be ? In heaven or in hell ?' — 
Returning to the afternoon service, Mr B. was met at the 
meeting-house door by one of the members of the church, 
who said, 'An affecting providence, Sir, has just taken 
place ! The congregation is assembled, and a man in 
the gallery is now fallen down, apparently dead ; he is 
carried into the vestry.' A medical gentleman w r as im- 
mediately sent for, who said that the person had died of 
an apoplectic fit. The awakening providence produced a 
deep solemnity in the congregation. 4 Be ye also ready ; 
for at such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man 
cometh. 5 

xv. 4. — Yea, thou easiest off fear, and restrainest 
prayer before God. 

An aged person w r ho had been many years a well-es- 
teemed member of the church, at length became a drunk- 
ard, and was excommunicated, and died in awful circum- 
stances. Some of his dying w r ords were these — 4 1 often 
prayed unto God for a mercy, which He still denied me. 
At length I grew angry at God ; whereupon I grew slack 
in my acquaintance with the Lord ; ever since which He 
hath dreadfully forsaken me ; and I know that now He 
hath no mercy for me,' 

xvi. 16. — On my eyelids is the shadow of death. 

Mr George Moir, an eminently pious man, after having 
been worn out by a long and painful illness, was told by 
his wife, that the change of his countenance indicated 
the speedy approach of death. 4 Does it,' he replied; 
'bring me a glass.' On looking at himself in the glass*, 



222 



JOB XVI II. 



he was struck with the appearance of a corpse which he 
saw in his countenance ; but giving the glass back, he 
said, with calm satisfaction, 4 Ah ! death has set his mark 
on my body, but Christ has set His mark upon my soul.' 

xvii. 2. — Are there not mockers with me ? 

When the late Rev. John Brown of Whitburn was 
going to London by sea, in 1814, some fellow passengers 
of the baser sort, knowing or guessing his profession, 
were resolved to play off their profane wit upon him ; with 
this design they wrote him a note, saying, that as they 
presumed he was one that was acquainted, with, and 
could apply the * balm of Gilead,' they were anxious he 
would prescribe for a young woman who was under great 
distress of mind. Having read the note, and perceiving 
at once the spirit of it, he went down to the cabin from 
which it had been brought to him, and holding it open in 
his hand, said, ' Gentlemen, it is of little importance 
what insults you offer me personally, but I cannot, and. 
will not, bear to see Him whose I am, and whom I serve, 
insulted. Mock not, lest your bands be made strong.' 
The effect of his appearance and address were such, that 
during the rest of the passage he was treated with the 
utmost respect. 

xviii. 3. — Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and 
reputed vile in your sight ? 

'The present number in the girl's school,' says Mrs 
Mault, in a letter from the East Indies, ' is fifty-eight : 
and some of them are interesting children. About one- 
third of these girls are slaves ; and as the children of 
slaves here are always the property of the mother's mas- 
ter, we have formed the resolution, that each girl, by her 
own industry, shall purchase her freedom before she 
leaves the school. It will give you some idea in what 
light slaves are viewed by the higher castes, who are 
their masters, when I mention one circumstance. A girl 
in the school had become big enough to work in her 
master's field ; he therefore came to make his claim to 
her. I asked him if it would not be well for her to learn 
to read ? and whether he should not allow her to do so ? 
He replied, " It may be well for you to instruct her, as 
you will get a better place in heaven thereby; but it is 



JOB XXI, 



223 



enough for me if my bullocks and slaves do the work re- 
quired in the fields ! " Here you see man, who is im- 
mortal, classed with the brute which perisheth. And 
this is not a solitary instance : for the lower classes in 
society here are not allowed to enjoy even the same pri- 
vileges as cows, and some other of the brute creation ! ' 

xix. 25. — I know that my Redeemer liveth 5 and that 
he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. 

'I have seen,' says Mr Hervey, 'Dr Glyn's poem, en- 
titled, " The Day of Judgment." It is not without ele- 
gance and pathos ; but its chief deficiency is, that it 
neglects to ascribe proper honour to Christ. He is, in- 
deed, slightly hinted at in one chosen line; but He should 
have made the most distinguishing figure throughout the 
whole piece. All judgment is committed to Him. It is 
Christ who will come in the clouds of heaven ; we must 
all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. This, to 
the believer, is a most delightful consideration — My Re- 
deemer is my Judge I He who died for me, passes the 
final sentence. Look ! how great is His majesty and 
glory, so great is my atonement and propitiation.' 

xx. 22. — In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be 
in straits. 

'I knew a man,' says one, ' that had wealth and riches, 
and several houses, all beautiful and ready furnished, and 
who would often trouble himself and his family by re- 
moving from one house to another. Being asked by a 
friend why he remoyed so often ? he replied, it was to 
find content in some one of them. " Content." said his 
friend, "ever dwells in a meek and quiet soul."' 

xxi. 12, 13. — They take the timbrel and harp, and 
rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their 
days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the 
grave. 

Mr and Mrs G , who lived in the state of New York, 

had risen from poverty and obscurity to wealth and dis- 
tinction. Their prosperity appears, however, to have 
been unsanctified, and they were led to indulge in those 
amusements which tend to banish serious reflection, and 
to bring the whole soul under the debasing influence of 



224 



JOB XXII. 



this world. One evening, memorable in the annals of 

amusements in the place where they lived, Mrs G 

was present. All was hilarity and mirth around her ; 

but from some cause, Mrs G had not her accustomed 

flow of spirits. She had been slightly indisposed, but was 
now apparently well. She did not, however, fully parti- 
cipate in the general mirth that surrounded her. A 
gentleman present, who was an intimate acquaintance, 

attempted to rally her. ' Why, Mrs G , you seem 

rather sober ; are you becoming serious, or are you grow- 
ing old ? ' 'I am not very serious,' replied Mrs G , 

1 and not so old but that I can dance, and if you doubt it, 
I will dance with you.' The offer was joyfully accepted. 
* Give place, ladies,' said the gentleman, as he led her 

into the forming circle, 'Mrs G is going to join with 

us.' New joy animated all countenances; the music 
gave forth its thrilling strains. ' On with the dance ! ' 
seemed the impulse of every heart. The dance went on, 

Mrs G moved a few steps, and sunk down a lifeless 

corpse 1 

xxii. 7. — Thou hast not given water to the weary 
to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the 
hungry. 

An Indian, who had not met with his usual success in 
hunting, wandered down to a plantation, among the back 
settlements of Virginia, and seeing a planter at his door, 
asked him for a morsel of bread, for he was very hungry. 
The planter bid him i Begone, for he would give him 
none/ * Will you give me, then, a cup of your beer ? ' 
said the Indian. ' No ; you shall have none here,' re- 
plied the planter. i But I am very faint,' said the savage, 
' will you give me only a draught of cold water ? ' 4 Get 
you gone, you Indian dog, you shall have nothing here,' 
said the planter. It happened some time after, that the 
planter went on a shooting party up into the woods, 
where, intent upon his game, he missed his company, and 
lost his way, and night coming on, he wandered through 
the forest, till he espied an Indian wigwam. He ap- 
proached the savage's habitation, and asked him to show 
him the way to a plantation on that side of the country. 
4 It is too late for you to go there this evening, Sir,' said 
the Indian, 4 but if you will accept of my homely fare, 



JOB XXIY. 



225 



you are welcome/ He then offered him some venison, 
and such other refreshments as his store afforded ; and, 
having laid some bear-skins for his bed, he desired that 
he would repose himself for the night, and he would 
awake him early in the morning, and conduct him on his 
way. Accordingly, in the morning they set off, and the 
Indian led him out of the forest, and put him on the road 
he was to go. But just as they were taking leave, he 
stepped before the planter, and turning round, stared full 
in his face, and bade him say ' whether he recollected his 
features.' The planter was now struck with horror, when 
he beheld in his kind protector the Indian whom he had 
so harshly treated. He confessed that he knew him, and 
was full of excuses for his brutal behaviour ; to which the 
Indian replied, ' When you see poor Indians fainting foi 
a cup of cold water, don't say again, " Get you gone, you 
Indian dog ! " ' The Indian then wished him well on his 
journey, and left him. It is not difficult to say which of 
these had the best claim to the name of Christian. 

xxiii. 12. — I have esteemed the words of his mouth 
more than my necessary food. 

1 Being in company,' says one, 4 with a young officer in 
the East India Company's service, lately arrived, he men- 
tioned that one of the seamen died on their passage home, 
and when that happens, it is a custom among shipmates 
to sell all their clothes by auction ; and this was done to 
the person alluded to. In his chest was a Bible, which 
was put up by itself at sixpence ; it presently got up to 
twelve shillings, and the captain desired the auctioneer 
to knock it down, as it was too much for it, he said. And 
my informant added, he had no doubt but it would have 
sold for a guinea, if they had been let alone. He also 
said, that a Bible was considered a valuable acquisition 
by many of the seamen on board that ship ; and that fre- 
quently, at leisure hours, one person read the Scriptures 
to many of his shipmates, who were all attention to 
hear.' 

xxiv. 14. — The murderer, rising with the light, 
killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a 
thief. 

Sometimes murdersj secretly committed, have been 

P 



226 



JOB XXV. 



"brought to light in a very remarkable manner. The 
following is an instance, taken from an American news- 
paper : — • In the village of Manchester, Vermont, several 
years since, R. Colvin, a man of respectable connections 
and character, suddenly and mysteriously disappeared ; 
all search and inquiry proved futile and in vain, until 
within a few weeks, a person dreamed that he had ap- 
peared to him, and informed him that he had been mur- 
dered by two persons whom he named, and that he had 
been buried in such a place, a few rods distant from a 
sapling, bearing a particular mark, which he minutely 
described. The same dream occurred three times suc- 
cessively before he awoke, and each time the deceased 
seemed very solicitous for him to follow. Upon awaking, 
his feelings were wrought up to such a degree, and he 
was so impressed with a belief of the fact, that he deter- 
mined to collect some friends, and follow the directions 
laid down in the dream. He did so, and discovered, to his 
great surprise, not only a tree marked precisely as de- 
scribed, but also the appearance of a grave ; and upon 
digging, found a human skeleton ! After this discovery, 
Stephen and Jesse Brown, the persons implicated in the 
dream, were apprehended, and put in confinement, and, 
after a few days, confessed the deed. They were tried, 
convicted, and sentenced to be executed on the 18th of 
January last' (1S20). 

xxv. 4. — How then can man be justified with God? 

About the year 1100, amidst the almost universal dark- 
ness of Popery, there was a form of consolation to the 
dying, said to be written by Anselm, Archbishop of Can- 
terbury ; and in the year 1475, printed in Germany. It 
was in the following words : — ' Go to, then, as long as 
thou art in life — put all thy confidence in the death of 
Christ alone — confide in nothing else, — commit thyself 
wholly to it, — mix thyself wholly with it, — roll thyself 
wholly on it ; and if the Lord God will judge thee, say, 
"IiOrd, I put the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between 
me and Thy judgment, otherwise I contend not with 
Thee;" — and if He say, i; Thou art a sinner," reply, 
44 Put the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and 
my sins — and if He say, " Thou hast deserved damna- 
tion," let thine answer be, ' ; Lord, I spread the death of 



JOB XXVIII. 



227 



our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my demerits ; I 
offer His merits for the merits I should have had, and 
have not." If He still insist that He is angry at thee, 
reply again, " Lord, I put the death of the Lord Jesus 
Christ between me and Thine anger." ' 

xxvi. 14. — The thunder of his power who can un- 
derstand ? 

4 Were I fully able to describe God,' says Epictetus, 
' I should be God myself, or God must cease to be what 
He is.' 

xxvii. 20. — Terrors take hold on him as waters. 
Yolney, a French infidel, was on board a vessel during 

a violent storm at sea, when the ship was in imminent 
danger of being lost ; he threw himself on the deck, cry- 
ing in agony, 1 O, my God ! my God ! 1 4 There is a God, 
then, Monsieur Yolney ? ' said one of the passengers to 
him. ' 0 yes,' exclaimed the terrified infidel, ' there is, 
there is ! Lord save me.' The ship, however, got safely 
into port. Yolney was extremely disconcerted when his 
confession was publicly related ; but excused it by say- 
ing, he was so frightened by the storm that he did not 
know what he said, and immediately returned to his 
atheistical sentiments. 

xxviii. 28. — Unto man he said^ Behold the fear of 
the Lord, that is w r isdom ; and to depart from evil is 
understanding. 

Mr Hervey, in a letter to a friend, gives the following 
account of his views and feelings, when brought to thf 
gates of death by a severe illness : — 1 Were I,' says he, 
* to enjoy Hezekiah's grant, and have fifteen ye?';s added 
to my life, I would be much more frequent in my applica- 
tions to a throne of grace. We sustain a mighty loss by 
reading so much, and praying so little. Were I to renew 
my studies, I would take my leave of these accomplished 
trifles — the historians, the orators, the poets of antiquity 
— and devote my attention to the Scriptures of truth. I 
would sit with much greater assiduity at my Divine Mas- 
ter's feet, and desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ 
and Him crucified. This wisdom, whose fruits are peace 
in life, consolation in death, and everlasting salvation 
after death — this I would trace, this I would seek, this I 



228 



JOB XXX. 



would explore through the spacious and delightful fields 
of the Old and New Testaments.' 

xxix. 13. — The blessing of him that was ready to 
perish, came upon me. 

A gentleman from the country, passing through the 
streets of the metropolis, saw a poor man who had for- 
merly been employed by him as a labourer, and his cir- 
cumstances were those of extreme poverty and distress. 
He had come up to London to seek employment ; but, 
failing to obtain it, was reduced to a state of extreme 
destitution. The gentleman gave him a shilling and 
passed on, perhaps scarcely recollecting the circumstance, 
till it was recalled to his mind by the man himself, whom, 
about twelve months afterwards, he met again, and whose 
decent clothing and cheerful looks indicated a favourable 
change in his circumstances. 1 Sir,' said the poor fellow, 
*I am bound to bless you, and pray for you as long as I 
live ; that shilling you gave me has been the making of 
me: bad enough, I wanted it for food; but I was re- 
solved first to turn it round : so I went up and down one 
of the principal streets, and collected as many hare-skins 
as it would purchase ; these I disposed of, and contented 
myself with such food as the profits would afford, still re- 
serving the shilling as my stock in trade. By degrees I 
saved a little more, and to you, sir, I am indebted for the 
foundation of it all. But for your timely aid, I might 
have perished. May a blessing attend you as long as 
you live.' 

xxx. 25. — Did not I weep for him that was in 
trouble ? was not my soul grieved for the poor ? 

One Sabbath evening, as Mr Cruden, the author of the 
Concordance to the Bible, was returning from a place of 
worship, he accidentally fell in with a man whose appear- 
ance betrayed anxious sorrow, fixed melancholy, and 
deep despair. This was too interesting an object to the 
sympathizing mind of Mr Cruden, to be carelessly ne- 
glected, and making up to the man, he tenderly accosted 
him, and in course of conversation learned that the ex- 
treme poverty of his family, together with some other 
causes, had driven him to the desperate resolution of 
committing suicide. With the most affectionate tender- 
ness, Mr C. expostulated with the man on the wickedness 



JOB XXXIII. 



229 



of hi? intention, counselled him against the perpetration 
of the deed, administered such friendly consolations, and 
accompanied the whole with present pecuniary assistance, 
and promises of future support, that the poor man vras 
prevented from his horrid purpose, and returned home to 
his family in the most cheerful state of mind. 

xxxi. 16. — If I have withheld the poor from their 
desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail. 

When Sir Thomas More was Lord Chancellor, he de- 
creed a gentleman to pay a sum of money to a poor 
widow whom he had wronged ; to whom the gentleman 
said, ' Then I hope your lordship will grant me a long 
day to pay it.' ' I will grant your motion,' said the chan- 
cellor. 1 Monday next is St Barnabas' day. which is the 
longest day in the year ; pay it to the widow that day, or 
I will commit you to the Meet.' 

xxxii. 14. — Job hath not directed his words against 
me ; neither will I answer him with your speeches. 

Mr Xewton of London was a very candid and friendly 
critic, and was often applied to by young authors for his 
opinions and remarks, which he would give very candidly, 
and sometimes under the name of Xibblings. On one of 
these occasions, a practical essay was put into his hand 
which he approved; but a letter was appended, addressed 
to an obscure and contemptible writer, who had said very 
unwarrantable and absurd things on the subject, and 
whom therefore the writer attacked with little ceremony. 
The following is a specimen of some of Mr Xewton's 
nibblings : — ' Were the affair mine, I would take no notice 

of Mr ; but if I did. it should be with the hope, at 

least with the desire, of doing good, even to him. This 
would make me avoid every harsh epithet. He is not 
likely to be benefited by calling him a fool. The evan- 
gelists simply relate what is said and done, and use no 
bitterness nor severity, even when speaking of Herod, 
Pilate, or Judas. I wish their manner was more adopted 
in controversy.' 

xxxiii. lo, 16. — In a dream, in a vision of the night, 
when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon 
the bed ; then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth 
their instruction. 



230 



JOB XXXIV. 



- A poor man,' says the late Rev. Thomas Scott, 4 most 
dangerously ill, of whose religious state I entertained 
some hopes, seemed to me in the agonies of death. I sat 
by his bed for a considerable time, expecting to see him 
expire ; but at length he awoke as from sleep, and no- 
ticed me. I said, " You are extremely ill." He replied, 
" Yes ; but I shall not die this time." I asked the ground 
of this extraordinary confidence, saying, that I was per- 
suaded he would not recover. To this he answered, " I 
have just dreamed that you, with a very venerable-look- 
ing person, came to me ; he asked you what you thought 
of me. What kind of tree is it ? Is there any fruit ? You 
said, No, but there are blossoms. Well then, he said, / will 
spare it a little longer' 1 All reliance upon such a dream 
I should, in other circumstances, have scouted as enthu- 
siasm and presumption ; but it so exactly met my ideas 
as to the man's state of mind, which, however, I had 
never communicated to him, and the event, much beyond 
all expectation, so answered his confidence, by his re- 
covery, that I could not but think there was something 
peculiar. On his recovery, this man for a time went on 
very well ; bat afterwards he gave up all attention to re- 
ligion, and became very wicked ; and when I reminded 
him of what has been now related, he treated the whole 
with indifference, not to say with profane contempt. But 
I have since learned, from very good authority, that, after 
I left that part of the country (the neighbourhood of 01- 
ney), he was again brought under deep conviction of sin ; 
recollected and dolefully bemoaned his conduct towards 
me, and with respect to his dream, and became a de- 
cidedly religious character.' 

xxxiv. 29. — When he hideth his face, who then can 
behold him ? whether it be done against a nation, or 
against a man only. 

The late Rev. Ebenezer White, a pious minister in 
Chester, was subject to frequent depression of spirits. 
In a letter to his mother some time before his death, he 
says, — ' In addition to my bodily evils, I am the sub- 
ject of great darkness and stupidity of mind. I can 
hardly think on Divine things, or indeed anything, for my 
mind is as feeble as my body. I have, however, sense 
enough left to hear some awful voices in this rod. God 



JOB XXXVI. 



231 



seems to say, " Who sent you into My vineyard ? — What 
hast thou to do to declare My statutes? — Give an account 
of thy stewardship ! — Cast out the unprofitable servant ! 
— Let another take his office ! " I have many other dis- 
mal impressions ; and my confidence is far too weak to 
efface them. My only hope is the broad ground of the 
Gospel declaration, as that — Christ came to save sinners 
— His blood cleanseth from all sin — He is able to save, 
etc. And sometimes, but very rarely, I have a humble 
hope that God intends to save me, though it be as by 
fire.' 

xxxv. 11. — Who teacheth us more than the beasts 
of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of 
heaven ? 

Luther tells us of two cardinals, who, as they were 
riding to the council of Constance, saw a shepherd in the 
field weeping. One of them being affected with it, rode 
up to him to comfort him, and coming near to him, de- 
sired to know the reason of his weeping. The shepherd 
was unwilling to tell him at first, but at last he told him, 
saying, 'I, looking upon this toad, considered that I never 
praised God as I ought, for making me such an excellent 
creature as a man, comely and reasonable. I have not 
blessed Him that made me not such a deformed toad as 
this.' The cardinal hearing this, and considering that 
God had done far greater things for him than for this 
poor shepherd, fell senseless from his mule ; his servants 
lifting him up, and bringing him to the city, he recovered 
his senses, and cried out, 'O, St Austin ! how truly didst 
thou say, the unlearned rise and take heaven by force, 
and w r e, with all our learning, wallow in flesh and blood!' 

xxxvi. 5. — Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not 
any. 

The late Rev. Thomas Charles of Bala, North Wales, 
in a letter to a friend, remarks :— ' You say that you are 
without all sense and feeling in religion. I might ask you, 
as the Lord did Jonah, — "Doest thou well to complain ?" 
Is there not abundantly more cause to be thankful ? 
Think of the Lord's goodness, love, and mercy, and this 
will effectually give you both sense and feeling- I often 
find myself in the frame of mind you describe. But when 
so, if 1 can but take (and I have been often able) even 



232 



JOB XXXYIII. 



an obscure view of the Lord's goodness to me, so unfeel- 
ing a creature, then my heart begins to melt, and I re- 
cover in some degree my spiritual senses. It was so with 
me a few days ago, when the words of Elihu affected me 
exceedingly : — " Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth 
not any." I did not know, previously, what to do with 
myself, feeling myself totally devoid of everything good. 
But these words — " despiseth not any" — so much affected 
me, that I could not but go to the Lord, notwithstanding 
my coldness and insensibility; and I repeated the words 
as my apology for coming. "Thou despisest not any, 
therefore I will and must come to Thee." He did not 
frown upon me for my boldness, but filled me with good 
things. Think as bad as you please of yourself, but be 
sure to think well of God.' 

xxxvii. 6. — He saith to the snow, Be thou on the 
earth. 

In a work, called Voyages aux Alpes, which has recently 
been published in Paris, a curious account is given of an 
avalanche which occurred in Switzerland many years ago. 
During the absence of a Swiss farmer, his cottage and 
stable were, by the fall of the avalanche, enclosed in 
snow ; his wife and daughter were at the time in the 
stable. Six weeks afterwards, the snow having melted 
a little, an opening was effected, and the two females 
were found alive, having been supported by the milk of 
the cow during that long period. The space left free 
from the snow was sufficient for air, and there was a good 
winter's stock of provisions for the cow near the stable. 

xxxviii. 30. — The waters are hid as with a stone, 
and the face of the deep is frozen. 

A missionary who had brought over a native from 
India, was surprised one day by her saying to him, 1 0, 
sir, what wicked men these sailors are ! What do you 
think they have been telling me? They have been tell- 
ing me that in England, sometimes the water gets so hard 
that men can stand upon it ; but do you think I believe 
them? wo, I don't!' The missionary replied, 'But it is 
so, my dear, and now you believe it, don't you?' 1 Yes,' 
said she, 1 1 believe it, because you say so ; but how can 
it be?' 



JOB XLI. 



233 



xxxix. 28, 29. — She dwelleth and abideth on the 
rock. — From thence she seeketh the prey. 

Sir Robert Sibbald relates, that a woman in the Ork- 
ney Islands, having left her child, of about one year old, 
in a field, while she went to some distance, an eagle 
passing by took up the infant by its clothes, and carried 
it to her nest on a neighbouring rock; which being ob- 
served by some fishermen, they instantly pursued the 
eagle, attacked her nest, and brought back the child 
unhurt. 

xl. 4, 5. — Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer 
thee ? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once 
have I spoken, but I will not answer ; yea, twice, but 
I will proceed no further. 

'It has been often observed,' says Dr Owen, in his 
'Doctrine of Justification,' 'that the schoolmen them- 
selves, in their meditations and devotional writings, speak 
a language quite different from that which they use in their 
disputes and controversies ; and I had rather learn what 
men really think on this head from their prayers than 
from their writings. Nor do I remember that I ever 
heard any good man, in his prayers, use any expressions 
about justification, wherein anything of self-righteous- 
ness was introduced. Nor have I observed that any 
public liturgies (the Mass-Book excepted) guide men in 
their prayers before God, to plead anything for their ac- 
ceptance with Him, or as the means or condition thereof 
— but grace, mercy, the righteousness and blood of Christ 
alone.' 

xli. 25. — When he raiseth up himself, the mighty 
are afraid. 

' I have to report,' says a Protestant clergyman in the 
county of Donegal, in Ireland, ' a most awful and unpa- 
ralleled event, which took place in Inverbay, on Saturday 
last. Five men in a yawl were in pursuit of a shoal of 
sprats, for bait, with hand-loops, when a whale in pursuit 
of the shoal, with open jaws, came in immediate contact 
with the yawl. Feeling the yawl, the monster closed his 
jaws and crushed it to pieces, with the exception of the 
two ends, in one of which was a young lad, in the act of 
putting out his loop ; he was the only one out of the five 



234 



PSAL3I I. 



that escaped. One man was found crushed, and fastened 
to a piece of the floating wreck. This sad accident took 
place within seventy yards of the deep shelving shore of 
Ballysigad ; a hundred boats were at the time fishing 
about a mile distant. A Lunch of hair from the gills of 
the whale, fastened in a shiver of the wreck, confirmed 
the idea that the boat was destroyed in the way described, 
which those on shore, and those in the boats, agree in 
attesting.' 

xlii. 10. — And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, 
when he prayed for his friends. 

' I was lately informed,' says a missionary, 4 by a pious 
and able minister in Somersetshire, that on the evening 
when the first permanent impressions were made on his 
mind, his pious mother was detained at home. But she 
spent the time devoted to public worship in secret prayer 
for the salvation of her son ; and so fervent did she be- 
come in these intercessions, that, like our Lord in Geth- 
semane, she fell on her face, and remained in fervent 
supplications till the service had nearly closed. Her son, 
brought under the deepest impressions by the sermon of 
his father, went into a field after the service, and there 
prayed most fervently for himself. AYhen he came home 
the mother looked at her son with a manifest concern, 
anxious to discover whether her prayers had been heard, 
and whether her son had commenced the all-important 
inquiry, " What shall I do to be saved ?" — In a few days 
the son acknowledged himself to be the subject of impres- 
sions of which none need be ashamed ; impressions which 
lay the foundation of all excellence of character here, and 
of all blessedness hereafter.' 



PSALMS. 

Psalm i. ver. 1 — Blessed is the man that walketh 
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the 
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 

1 1 have considered it as a great favour of God,' says 
Dr Hopkins of America, ' that I was born and educated 
in a religious family, and among a people, in a country 
town, where a regard to religion and morality was com- 
mon and nrevalent ; and the education of children and 



PSALM IV. 



235 



youth was generally practised in such a degree, that 
young people were generally orderly in their behaviour, 
and abstained from those open vices, which were then too 
common in sea-port and populous places. I do not recol- 
lect that I ever heard a profane word from the children 
and youth with whom I was conversant, while I lived 
with my parents, which was till I was in my fifteenth 
year.' 

ii. 9. — Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron ; 
thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 

Felix, Earl of Wurtemberg, one of the captains of the 
Emperor Charles V., being at supper at Augsburg, in 
company with many who were threatening the sorest 
punishments on the persons of the pious Christians of 
that day, swore, before them all, that before he died he 
would ride up to his spurs in the blood of the Lutherans. 
That same night he was choked, probably by the bursting 
of a blood-vessel, which filled his throat, and at once re- 
moved him from the world. 

iii. 3. — Thou, 0 Lord, art a shield for me. 

Luther, when making his way into the presence of Car- 
dinal Cajetan, who had summoned him to answer for his 
heretical opinions at Augsburg, was asked by one of the 
cardinal's minions, where he should find a shelter, if his 
patron, the elector of Saxony, should desert him ? ' Under 
the shield of heaven!' was the reply. The silenced 
minion turned round and went his way. 

iv. 8. — I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep : 
for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 

A gentleman states, that many years ago he was pre- 
sent at the opening of a dissenting place of worship, in 
the town of Beacon sfield, in England. After hearing the 
late Mr Cook of Maidenhead, and spending the day very 
agreeably, he took up his lodgings at the principal inn. 
When he entered the house, he found the late Rev. 
Mathew Wilks in the traveller's room. Before supper, 
Mr Wilks rang the bell, and inquired at the master of the 
house if he had a Bible ? He replied that he had. Mr 
Wilks said, with much kindness of manner, * It is always 
my practice to return thanks to God for the mercies of 
the day, and to entreat His protection at night ; and if 



236 



psalm vn. 



you, and your wife, and servants, will come in, I shall be 
glad.' The master of the house made no objection, and 
his wife and servants, and other persons present, came 
in. Mr W. read the Scriptures, and engaged in prayer, 
in which he manifested much spirituality and fervour. 

v. 3. — My voice shalt thou hear in the morning. O 
Lord ; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto 
thee, and will look up. 

' In the days of our fathers,' says Bishop Burnet, 1 when 
a person came early to the door of his neighbour, and de- 
sired to speak with the master of the house, it was as 
common a thing for the servants to tell him with free- 
dom — " My master is at prayer," as it is now to say, " My 
master is not up." ' 

vi. 9. — The Lord hath heard my supplication ; the 
Lord will receive my prayer. 

A minister of the Gospel, in the north of England, had 
a dissolute son, who was an officer. The father had long 
sought the eternal welfare of his wicked child, but appa- 
rently in vain. On one occasion a remark was made to 
the father on the hopelessness of his son's condition. He 
replied by expressing his confidence, that so many prayers 
would not be lost. At length the father died. The son 
was still a profligate. Some time after his fathers de- 
cease, the son was riding the horse on which his father 
had been accustomed to travel to preach the Gospel, when 
a thought to the following effect darted into his mind : — 
' Poor creature, you used to carry a saint, and now you 
carry a devil.' The issue was, he embraced religion, and 
his father's prayers were answered. 

vii. 4. — I have delivered him that without cause is 
mine enemy. 

When Bruce the traveller was in Abyssinia, one of the 
governors, according to the custom of the country, sent 
him twelve horses, saddled and bridled, desiring him to 
fix on one for his own use. The groom urged Bruce to 
mount one of them, assuring him it was a most excellent 
animal, and very quiet and safe to ride. It proved that 
the horse was extremely vicious, of which the man was 
well aware, and apparently had selected him with a ma- 
licious intention. The traveller, however, was well skilled 



PSALM VIII. 



287 



in horsemanship ; and. after a severe contest, he success- 
fully curbed the unruly animal, completely exhausted 
him. and descended unhurt. The governor expressed 
the greatest surprise and concern at the transaction, and 
most solemnly protested his entire innocence of any de- 
sign in it, adding, that the groom was already in irons, 
and before many hours passed, would be put to death. 
' Sir,' said the traveller, ; as this man has attempted my 
life, according to the laws of the country, it is I that 
should name his punishment.' 'It is very true.' replied 
the governor ; ' take him, and cut him in a thousand 
pieces, if you please, and give his body to the kites.' 
1 Are you really sincere in what you say ?' asked Bruce, 
' and will you have no after excuses ?' He swore so- 
lemnly that he would not. 'Then,' said Bruce. 'I am a 
Christian ; the way my religion teaches me to punish my 
enemies, is, by doing good for evil, and therefore I keep 
you to the oath you have sworn. I desire you to set this 
man at liberty, and put him in the place he held before ; 
for he has not been undutiful to you.' Every one present 
seemed pleased with these sentiments: one of the attend- 
ants could not contain himself, but, turning to the gover- 
nor, said, 4 Did not I tell you what my brother thought 
about this man ? He was just the same all through Tigre.' 
The governor, in a low voice, very justly replied, 'A 
man that behaves as he does, may go through any 
country.' 

viii. 2. — Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings 
hast thou ordained strength. 

E. K., a little boy not more than four years old, having 
been accustomed, from a very early age, to bow at the 
throne of grace, while his parents engaged in domestic 
worship, feels so lively an interest in that holy duty, that 
whenever he is absent from the service, he weeps, and 
discovers much concern. He has been attached to the 
exercise from his infancy. One morning, when he was 
but fifteen months old, his father, having some particular 
business pressing upon his attention, was preparing has- 
tily to leave the house, without discharging his duty as 
the priest of his household. As soon as the child per- 
ceived this, he ran to a chair, and knelt down. His 
father still proceeding to go out, he rose up, ran after 
him, and took hold of his coat to conduct him from the 



238 



PSALM XT. 



door to the usual place at which he knelt while engaged 
in social worship. This affecting deportment of the in- 
fant brought the father to tears, and compelled him to 
stay and perform the duty devolving upon him. 

ix. 10. — They that know thy name will put their 
trust in thee : for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them 
that seek thee. 

During Mr Legh Richmond's last illness, a friend was 
speaking to him of the immense value and importance of 
their religious principles, when he raised himself upright 
in his chair, and with great solemnity of manner, said, — 
4 Brother, we are only half awake — we are none of us 
more than half awake ! — The enemy, as our poor people 
would say, has been very busy with me. I have been in 
great darkr.es s — a srrange thought has passed through 
my mind — it is all delusion. Brother, brother, strong 
evidences, nothing but strong evidences, will do at such 
an hour as this. I have looked here and looked there for 
them — all have failed me — and so I rest myself on the 
sovereign, free, and full grace of God, in the covenant by 
Christ Jesus : and there, brother (looking at his friend 
with a smile of tranquillity quite indescribable), there I 
have found peace.' 

x. 4. — God is not in all his thoughts. 

A child instructed in a Sabbath school, on being asked 
by his teacher, if he could mention a place where God 
was not, made the following beautiful and unexpected 
reply, — 4 Not in the thoughts of the wicked.' 

xi. 4. — His eyes beho:d, his eyelids try the children 
of men. 

A man who was in the habit of going into a neighbour's 
com-field to steal the ears, one day took his son with 
him. a boy of eight years of age. The father told him to 
hold the bag, while he looked if any one was near to see 
him. After standing on the fence, and peeping through 
all the corn rows, he returned and took the bag from the 
child, and began his guilty work. 1 Father,' said the boy, 
* you forgot to look somewhere else.' The man dropt the 
bag in a fright, and said, i Winch way, child ?' supposing 
he had seen some one. ; You forgot to look up to the 
sky, to see if God was noticing you.' The father felt this 



PSALM XIV. 



239 



reproof of the child so much, that he left the corn, re- 
turned home, and never again ventured to steal ; remem- 
bering the truth that his child had taught him, that the 
eye of God always beholds us. 

xii. 2. — With flattering lips, and with a double heart, 
do they speak. 

When a flattering priest told the Emperor Constantme, 
that his godliness and virtues justly deserved to have in 
this life the empire of the world, and in the future life, to 
reign with the Son of God; the Emperor cried, — Eie — 
fie for shame ! let me hear no more such unseemly speeches, 
but rather suppliantly pray to my Almighty Maker, that 
in this life, and in the life to come, I may be reckoned 
worthy to be His servant. 

xiii. 3. — Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of 
death. 

A little daughter of Charles L died when only four 
years old. When on her death-bed, she was desired by 
one of her servants to pray. She said she could not say 
her long prayer, meaning the 'Lord's Prayer;' but that 
she would try to say her short one. 1 Lighten my dark- 
ness, 0 Lord God, and let me not sleep the sleep of 
death.' As she said this, she laid her little head on the 
pillow, and expired. 

xiv. 3. — They are all gone aside, they are all together 
become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not 
one. 

An influential country gentleman, and patron of a 
church, who, in his way, showed great kindness to a 
clergyman, was hearing the minister preach on a subse- 
quent Sabbath. When the patron had reached home, 
immediately after attending church, he said, ; Here is 
gratitude for you ; here I and my family have shown this 
man the greatest kindness, and the return he makes 
when he gets into the pulpit, is to tell us that we are 
great sinners unless we repent. He preaches that our 
good works go for nothing before God. This sermon will 
do very well for a penitentiary, or Newgate; but before a 
genteel and respectable audience, to tell them that they 
are sinners, is the most extraordinary conduct that I ever 
met with.' 



240 



PSALM XVI. 



xv. 3. — He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor 
doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach 
against his neighbour. 

' No man,' observes one of the friends of the late Dr 
Waugh, 'was more careful to defend the character of his 
brethren in anything defensible. On one occasion a 
minister, then a young man, having animadverted, in a 
company where Dr W. was present, on the talents of 
another minister, in a manner which he thought might 
leave an unfavourable impression on the minds of persons 

present, he observed, " I have known Mr many 

years, and I never knew him speak disrespectfully of a 
brother in my life. " ' 

xvi. 3. — To the saints that are in the earth, and to 
the excellent, in whom is all my delight. 

' On Saturday, about ten o'clock,' says the Rev. T. 
Charles of North Wales, in a letter, ' I set out from 
Bristol. Just as I came to the outside of the gate of the 
city, I met a dear friend, and one whom Jesus loves. I 
was exceedingly glad to see him ; for I never expected to 
see him this side of eternity. He had been in a dangerous 
decline for this half year ; but now, through mercy, he is 
wonderfully recovered. He has nothing to depend on 
but Providence ; and the Lord put it into the heart of a 
rich merchant in the city to support and provide for him 
amply during the whole of his illness ; so that, though 
possessing nothing, he had everything to enjoy. He 
turned his horse back, with the intention of accompany- 
ing me a mile or two. We talked ; and our horses carried 
us one mile after another, till we had ridden fifteen miles; 
and both ourselves and our horses wanted some refresh- 
ment. His conversation was exceedingly savoury, and 
truly profitable, suited to one who had been, in his own 
apprehension, and that of others, on the borders of 
heaven. I cannot look on our meeting, but as a par- 
ticular appointment and blessing from Providence. We 
stayed two hours together at the inn, and parted at last 
with much regret. You would have smiled to see our 
eyes fixed on each other, till distance obstructed our 
sight. Communion of saints is a blessing indeed. I 
would not, for anything, have it expunged from our 
creed.' 



PSAL3I XIX. 



241 



xvii. 15. — As for me, I will behold thy face in 
righteousness : I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with 
thy likeness. 

A young man who died some years ago, when feel- 
ing the approach of death, is said to have uttered these 
rapturous expressions — 'I find now it is no delusion! 
My hopes are well founded ! Eye hath not seen, nor eai 
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to 
conceive the glory I shall shortly partake of! Read your 
Bible ! I shall read mine no more ! — no more need it ! 
Can this be dying ? This body seems no longer to belong 
to the soul! It appears only as a curtain that covers it ; 
and soon I shall drop this curtain, and be set at liberty ! 
I rejoice to feel these bones give way, as it tells me I shall 
shortly be with my God in glory I ' 

xviii. 29. — By thee I have run through a troop ; and 
by my God have I leaped over a wall. 

During the rebellion of 1745, Colonel Gardiner accom- 
panied the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine of Stirling to a meet- 
ing of the gentlemen of the town ; and when endeavour- 
ing to inspire the company with the same ardour of 
patriotic heroism which glowed in his own bosom, he pro- 
ceeded to state the deficiencies of the enemy's force in 
arms, in numbers, and in military talents ; and affirmed 
that, were he at the head of a certain regiment which he 
once had the honour to command, he would not be afraid 
to encounter their whole army. Mr Erskine standing by 
him, and marking his expressions, tapped him gently on 
the shoulder, and thus whispered in his ear, ' Colonel, 
say, under God.' That great man, whose piety was equal 
to his courage, replied, smiling, ' 0 yes, Mr Erskine, I 
mean that, and having God for our general, we must be 
conquerors/ 

xix. 10. — More to be desired are they than gold, yea, 
than much fine gold. 

About the beginning of January 1818, four workmen, 
belonging to the Custom House in Paris, who had often 

occasion to work for Mr W , a member of the Society 

of Eriends, went to receive their new year's gift. On see- 
ing them, he informed them that he had provided for 
them fifteen francs (twelve shillings and sixpence), or, if 

Q 



242 



PSALM XX. 



they preferred it, which he would strongly recommend, a 
Bible. ' Fifteen francs,' said he, 1 are of little conse- 
quence, you will soon have spent them; but the word of 
God will remain with you, and you will always find in it 
consolation and advice. ' The eldest of the four said, 
'As for me, I should very much like the word of God, 
but it would be useless to me. as I cannot read ; and if it 

makes no difference ' 1 Oh,' said Mr W , ' if you 

prefer the money, here it is.' The next two also, on 
some account or other, preferred the francs ; and Mr 

W then addressed the youngest, advising him to 

choose the Bible. 1 Since you say it is such an excellent 
book, I would rather,' said the young man, 'have it, and 
will read a chapter every day to my mother.' ' Let me 

hear how you can read it,' said Mr W , and gave him 

one of the four Bibles. On opening it, he found a piece 

of gold worth forty francs. 'You see,' said Mr W , 

1 the word of God already favours thee. Go home to thy 
mother.' He was unable to express his gratitude. We 
may judge how the others looked, when they found each 
of the Bibles contained forty francs. 

xx. 7. — Some trust in chariots, and some in horses ; 
but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 

His Majesty George III. was one day looking at the 
plate which had been recently brought from Hanover, 
and observing one of the articles with the arms of the 
Electorate engraved upon it, he said to the domestic who 
attended him, 'This belonged to King George II.; I 
know it by the Latin inscription,' which he read, adding, 
' In English it is, / trust in my sword. This,' said he, ' I al- 
ways disliked ; for had I nothing to trust in but my sword, 
I well know what would be the result ; therefore, when I 
came to the crown, I altered it. My motto is — " I trust 
in the truth of the Christian religion." ' He then, with 
his usual condescension, said, '"Which of the two inscrip- 
tions do you like best?' The attendant replied, 'Your 
Majesty's is infinitely preferable to the other.' He said, 
' I have ever thought so, and ever shall think so ; for 
therein is my trust and confidence.' He continued, 
'Think you, is it possible for any one to be happy and 
comfortable within himself, who has not that trust and 
confidence ? I know there are those who affect to be at 



PSALM XXII. 



243 



case while living in a state of infidelity ; but it is all 
affectation; it is only the semblance of happiness — the 

THING ITSELF IS IMPOSSIBLE.' 

xxi. 11. — They imagined a mischievous device, 
which they are not able to perform. 

A savage in the South Sea Islands, one day meeting 
two children wandering alone among the mountains, 
stopped them and told the poor creatures he should kill, 
roast, and eat them. The boys said, 4 Do it, do it ; and 
don't pretend that you will, and then you won't.' He 
assured them that they should find he was not frighten- 
ing them with a false pretence, for he would do as he 
said. Accordingly he kindled a fire, and was going — as 
the children, who durst not attempt to run away, said 
afterwards — to kill, disembowel, and bake them, in the 
manner that hogs are slaughtered and cooked. Mean- 
while some girls coming suddenly in sight, and shrieking 
with alarm, the wretch fled into the woods. He was, 
however, soon hunted out, taken, and brought to justice. 
On his trial he did not deny his cannibal purpose ; 
wherefore, on the testimony of the two lads, he was con- 
victed and condemned to be hanged within a fortnight. 
The sentence was executed, and he confessed its justice. 

xxii. 26. — The meek shall eat and be satisfied. 

The Rev. Ebenezer Erskine having gone to assist the 
Rev. Mr Grier of the College Church, Edinburgh, in ad- 
ministering the Lord's Supper, he lodged in the same 
house with Janet Paterson, a pious woman, whom he 
highly esteemed (being kindly entertained, very probably 
under her own roof). Finding him somewhat depressed 
in spirit on Sabbath morning, she reminded him of the 
promise, ' The meek shall eat and be satisfied,' adding 
that these words had frequently been made sweet to her 
soul, on his account. Mr Grier preached on that text, 
'My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed ;' 
and the first words he read to be sung after sermon, were 
the same that Janet Paterson had suggested for Mr 
Erskine's encouragement in the morning. This, he says, 
melted his heart, and called forth ardent wishes that the 
promise might be accomplished to his soul. 



2U 



PSALM XXVI. 



xxiii. 5. — Thou anointest my head with oil ; my 
cup runneth over. 

1 1 confess,' says Captain TVilson, 1 that, since my re- 
turn from India, I have been forcibly struck with several 
things, which prove the Scriptures to be an Eastern book. 
Tor instance, the language of one of the Psalms, where 
David says, "Thou anointest my head with oil. my cup 
runneth over," most likely alludes to a custom which con- 
tinues to this day. I once had this ceremony performed 
on myself, in the house of a rich Indian, in the presence 
of a large company. The gentleman of the house poured 
upon my hands and arms a delightfully odoriferous per- 
fume, put a golden cup into my hand, and poured wine 
into it till it ran over, assuring me, at the same time, that 
it was a great pleasure to him to receive me, and I 
should find a rich supply in his house. I think the in- 
spired poet expressed his sense of the Divine goodness 
by this allusion.' 

xxiv. 6. — This is the generation of them that seek 
him. 

Of the Eev. Mr Blackerby it is said, ; He was much in 
prayer : much in closet prayer — much in walking prayer 
— much in conjugal prayer, for he prayed daily with his 
wife alone — much in family prayer, daily with his own 
family — and almost daily with some other family. He 
used to ride about, from family to family, and only alight 
and pray with them, and give them some heavenly ex- 
hortation, and then went away to some other family. 
Also, he was very much in fasting and prayer.' 

xxv. 15. — Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord. 

Eight Use of the Etes. — An old author says, 1 We 
ought not to look for that in the law which can only be 
found in the Gospel ; not to look for that in ourselves, 
which can only be found in Christ ; not to look for that 
in the creature, which can only be found in the Creator ; 
not to look for that on earth, which can only be found in 
heaven.' 

xxvi. 8. — Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy 
house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. 

Mr TV. Sparshalt, many years an officer in his Majesty's 
navy, was so remarkable for his attachment to the house 



PSALM XXVII. 



245 



and ordinances of God, that he was never known to absent 
himself from his own place of worship, except once, dur- 
ing his whole religious career ; and though at times he 
was so afflicted with deafness that he could not hear a 
word, he nevertheless continued to fill his place in the 
sanctuary. He said that he felt it his duty thus to honour 
Divine institutions, and that he felt an advantage in it. 
In this case he was accustomed to read and meditate on 
the hymns sung, and the Scriptures which were read ; in 
the time of prayer he prayed for himself, and during the 
sermon, he would get a friend to show the text, and would 
employ his mind in reflection on it. In this way it is pro- 
bable that he derived more benefit from the means of 
grace, than many who are not thus afflicted. 

xxvii. 10. — When my father and my mother forsake 
me, then the Lord will take me up. 

The following circumstance occurred some years ago 
at Warrington, and is related by a gentleman of respec- 
tability : — ' About three weeks ago, two little boys de- 
cently clothed, the eldest appearing about thirteen, and 
the youngest eleven, called at the lodging-house for 
vagrants in this town, for a night's lodging. The keeper 
of the house very properly took them to the vagrants' 
office to be examined, and if fit objects, to be relieved. 
The account they gave of themselves was extremely 
affecting. It appeared, that but a few weeks had elapsed 
since these poor little wanderers had resided with their 
parents in London. The typhus fever in one day carried 
off both father and mother, leaving them orphans in a 
wide world, without a home and without friends. After 
the death of their parents, having an uncle in Liverpool, 
they resolved to throw themselves upon his protection. 
Tired, therefore, and faint, they arrived in this town on 
their way. Two bundles contained their little all ; in the 
younger boy's was found a neatly covered and carefully 
preserved Bible. The keeper of the lodging-house, ad- 
dressing the little boy, said — " You have neither money 
nor meat, will you sell me this Bible ? I will give you 
five shillings for it." " No," replied he, the tears rolling 
down his cheeks ; " I will starve first." " Why do you 
love the Bible so much ?" He answered, "No book has 
stood my friend so much as my Bible." " Why, what has 
your Bible done for you ?" He answered, " When I was 



246 PSALM XXIX, 

a little boy, about seven years of age, I became a Sunday 
scholar in London. Through the kind attention of my 
master, I soon learned to read my Bible ; this Bible, 
young as I was, showed me that I was a sinner ; it also 
pointed me to a Sayiour, and I thank God that I found 
mercy at the hands of Christ, and I am not ashamed to 
confess Him before the world. The Bible has been my 
support all the way from London ; hungry and weary, 
often have I sat down by the wayside to read my Bible, 
and have found refreshment from it." He was then 
asked, " "What will you do when you get to Liverpool, 
should your uncle refuse to take you in ?" He replied, 
" My Bible tells me, When my father and my mother for- 
sake me, then the Lord icill take me up" ' 

xxviii. 3. — Draw me not away with the wicked, and 
with the workers of iniquity. 

A gentleman, at breakfast with Mr Newton, told the 
company of two seamen, under sentence of death for the 
mutiny at Bantry-bay, having been brought to the know- 
ledge of Jesus. The sentence being remitted, they were 
sent to the hulks at Woolwich. This gentleman provi- 
dentially met with a letter from one of them to his father, 
in which he complained most pathetically of the dreadful 
company w T ith which he was surrounded. The letter, 
altogether, was a most Christian one, and very well ex- 
pressed. The writer was afraid of relapsing into his for- 
mer profligacy, if he continued amongst horrid company 
in the hulks. Upon hearing this relation, Mr Newton 
remarked, * They would be in a more dangerous situation 
were they placed amongst a set of smooth reasoners in 
the higher circles of life — at present they are kept on 
watch ; in the other case they w r ould be off their guard, 
and more likely to receive damage.' 

xxix. 5. — The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars. 
Some time ago, about thirty persons were engaged in 

hay-making in Yorkshire. At a time w T hen the rain was 
pouring down in torrents, the lightning awfully vivid, and 
the thunder rolling with tremnedous crashes over their 
heads, they were all hastening, with one accord, to the 
offered shelter of a beautiful large oak tree ; but by the 
persuasions of their master's brother, w r ho happened to be 
with them, and who had heard of accidents frequently 



I 



PSALM XXXI. 247 

occurring from the attraction which trees afforded to the 
lightning, they were induced to forego their first inten- 
tion, and to take shelter under some of the hay. Scarcely 
had they reached the hay, when they saw that tree, under 
which they had been so eager to shelter themselves, 
struck with the lightning, the large trunk split from the 
top to the bottom, and all the leaves blasted and withered. 
How grateful should these men have been for so merciful 
a preservation from danger so imminent ! 

xxx. 5. — Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
cometh in the morning. 

The Rev. James Hog of Carnock, an eminent minister, 
was long under deep mental distress. When he had 
lived in Holland for a considerable time, it pleased God 
unexpectedly to impart a great measure of light to his 
mind. 1 O how sweet,' says he, 1 the light was to me, who 
had been shut up in a dark dungeon ! for sometimes I 
could do nothing but cry, " Send out Thy light and Thy 
truth." After I had thus cried, not without some expe- 
rience of a gracious answer, and expectation of more, I 
quickly found my soul brought out of prison, and breath- 
ing in a free and heavenly air ; altogether astonished at 
the amazing mercy and grace of God.' 

xxxi. 23. — The Lord preserveth the faithful, and 
plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 

When the Rev. Mr Galland was minister at Ilikiston, 
in Nottinghamshire, an ungodly man threatened his life, 
because he supposed his preaching had contributed to the 
fanaticism of his son's wife, — a crime that could not be 
forgiven. He vowed no less a vengeance than death, and 
sought an opportunity to execute it ; but the Lord, who 
defends His people, took care of His servant, and shielded 
his head in the hour of danger. Having heard that there 
was a prayer-meeting at his son's house, on the Sabbath 
morning, he repaired thither with the instrument of death, 
having been hardened to his purpose by drinking all the 
preceding night. His companions in wickedness, how- 
ever, endeavoured to dissuade him from his design, and 
to wrest the knife from his hand, with which he meant to 
perform the murderous deed. He repaired to the place, 
breathing threatening and slaughter ; but he was disap- 



243 



PSALM XXXIV, 



pointed of his victim: his information respecting the 
meeting was incorrect. Divine judgment overtook him, 
however. — for on his return he fell into a ditch, and was 
found dead. 

xxxii. 11. — Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye 
righteous; and shout for joy. all ye that are upright in 
heart. 

TThen the poet Carpani inquired of his friend Haydn, 
how it happened that his church music was always so 
cheerful, the great composer made a most beautiful reply. 
' I cannot,' he said, 'make it otherwise, I write according 
to the thoughts I feel : when I think upon God, my heart 
is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap, as it were, 
from my pen : and since God has given me a cheerful 
heart, it will he pardoned me that I serve Him with a 
cheerful spirit.' 

xxxiii. 15. — He fashioneth their hearts alike. 

When Mr Occam, the Indian preacher, was in Eng- 
land, he visited Mr Newton of London, and they com- 
pared experiences. ' Mr Occam,' says Mr ZSTewton. • in 
describing to me the state of his heart, when he was a 
blind idolater, gave me. in general, a striking picture of 
what my own was in the early part of my life; and his 
subsequent views correspond with mine, as face answers 
to face in a glass, though I dare say, when he received 
them, he had never heard of Calvin's name.' 

xxxiv. 9. — 0 fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there 
is no want to them that fear him. 

A poor widow, left with three small children, who 
lived in the adjoining parish to St Mary's, Leicester, and 
to whom Mr Eobinson's preaching had been useful, and 
who was in the constant practice of going to his Tuesday 
evening lecture, was one of these evenings sitting spin- 
ning at her wheel, engaged in deep meditation, her soul 
longing for the courts of the Lord. While thus engaged, 
the sound of St Mary's bells caught the ear of one of her 
children, who were playing in her little apartment. The 
child instantly ran to his mother, exclaiming, 'Mother, 
don't you go to church ?' The poor woman heavily 
sighed, and said, 1 Xo, my dear, if I don't stop at home, 
and spin this wool, you will have no supper.' By this 



PSALM XXXY. 



249 



time the other two children had come to her wheel ; and 
having heard what had been said, the youngest eagerly 
exclaimed, 1 0, mam, go lurch; God send us supper.' 
Struck by this remark of her child, she set aside her 
wheel, and went to the church. Having got wet in re- 
turning home, she sat by her little fire drying her clothes, 
when a neighbour entered her room, and said, 'Betty, I 
owe you twopence, and I am come to pay you.' Betty 
answered, ' Why, neighbour, I don't know you owe me 
ought.' ( Yes, but I do; I borrowed twopence of you a 
year and a half since, and it is just come into my mind.' 
She then paid her the twopence, and bid her good night. 
The poor widow was filled with surprise and gratitude, 
and immediately sent one of her children to buy a cake, 
and thus satisfied the wants of nature. 

xxxv. 13, 14. — But as for me, when they were sick, 
my clothing was sackcloth : I humbled my soul with 
fasting ; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 
I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or 
brother. 

The late Mr Brown of Haddington manifested a singu- 
lar readiness to forgive his enemies. Notwithstanding 
the abuse he received from some ministers, when a 
student, it was remarked, that he was never heard to 
speak evil of them, nor so much as to mention the affair. 
A Dissenting clergyman, who had used him rudely, being 
reduced to poverty, he sent him money, and in a way 
which concealed the benefactor. After the clergyman's 
decease, he offered to take one of his destitute orphans, 
and bring him up with his own children. To certain 
writers who reviled him from the press, he meekly re- 
plied, ' But now that the fact is committed, instead of 
intending to resent the injury these reverend brethren 
have done me, I reckon myself, on account thereof, so 
much the more effectually obliged, by the Christian law, 
to contribute my utmost endeavours towards the advance- 
ment of their welfare, spiritual or temporal, and am re- 
solved, through grace, to discharge these obligations, as 
Providence gives me opportunity, for the same. Let 
them do to, or with me, what they will, may their por- 
tion be redemption through the blood of J esus, even the 
forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace ; 



250 



PSALM XXXVII. 



and call me what they please, may the Lord call them. 
M The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord ; sought out, 
a city not forsaken." ' 

xxxvi. 8. — They shall be abundantly satisfied with 
the fatness of thy house ; and thou shalt make them 
drink of the river of thy pleasures. 

A little girl said to a gentleman, who was never known 
to enter the house of God, — ' Sir, why don't you go to 
church ; for I am sure, such as you are. you need food as 
well as myself?' The gentleman answered her, 4 Pray, 
who feeds you. and what kind of food is it that you re- 
ceive at church ?' She replied, 1 Sir, it is God that feeds 
me there, and His word is the food I am supplied with ; 
and I assure you, that though my mother, being very 
poor, is sometimes scarcely able to give me food to eat, 
yet, fed as I am every Sunday with the bread of life, I 
never know what the pains of hunger are.' The gentle- 
man, astonished at what he heard from the little girl, 
resolved from that time to attend the service of the 
sanctuary ; and he has adhered to his determination, 
and now feels and confesses the great pleasure and profit 
that arises from a constant attendance on the means of 
grace. 

xxxvii. 3. — Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so shalt 
thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 

A good man, overwhelmed with trouble, and unable to 
extricate himself, or procure a friend in the hour of 
necessity, came to the resolution, as his last resource, of 
leaving his native country. There remained one Lord's 
day more previous to his departure, and from an appre- 
hension that it would be the last he should ever spend in his 
own land, it impressed him with more than usual solemnity. 
YThen at the house of God, the text which the minister 
selected for the subject of his discourse was the preced- 
ing, — 1 Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so shalt thou 
dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.' On 
hearing these words, he found his attention particularly 
arrested ; nor did he feel himself less interested in the 
sermon, every sentence of which appeared peculiarly 
applicable to his circumstances, and led him to conclude 
the whole to be the voice of Providence. Impressed with 



PSALM XL. 



251 



this conviction, lie changed his purpose, and resolved to 
struggle against the torrent of adversity, and await the 
pleasure of his God concerning him. The appointed 
time to favour him soon arrived. The Lord quickly 
turned his captivity like that of Job, and caused his latter 
end to be more blessed than his beginning. 

xxxviii. 12. — They also that seek after my life lay 
snares for me. 

While Mr George Wishart was preaching at Dundee, 
Cardinal Beaton employed a popish priest to assassinate 
him. One day after the sermon was ended, and the 
people had departed, the priest stood waiting at the 
bottom of the stairs, with a dagger in his hand, under his 
gown. But Mr Wishart having a sharp piercing eye, and 
seeing the priest as he came, said to him, 4 My friend, 
what would you have?' And immediately seizing the 
dagger, took it from him. The priest, being terrified, 
fell down upon his knees, confessed his intention, and 
craved pardon. A noise being hereupon raised, the 
people said, 4 Deliver the traitor to us, or we will take 
him by force and they burst in at the gate. But 
Wishart, taking the priest in his arms, said — ' Whosoever 
hurts him shall hurt me, for he hath done me no mis- 
chief, but much good, by teaching me more heedfulness 
for the time to come.' And thus he appeased them, and 
saved the priest's life. 

xxxix. 1. — I said, I will take heed to my ways, that 
I sin not with my tongue. 

Dr Johnson, giving advice to an intimate friend, said, 
— c Above all, accustom your children constantly to tell 
the truth, without varying in any circumstance.' A lady 
present emphatically exclaimed, 4 Xay, this is too much ; 
for a little variation in narrative must happen a thousand 
times a-day, if one is not perpetually watching.' * Well, 
Madam,' replied the Doctor, 4 and you ought to be per- 
petually watching. It is more from carelessness about 
truth, than from intentional lying, that there is so much 
falsehood in the world.' 

xl. 9. — I have preached righteousness in the great 
congregation ; lo, I have not refrained my lips. 

Dr Payson's 4 ruling passion was strong in death.' His 



252 



PSALM XLIII. 



love for preaching was as invincible as that of the miser 
for gold, who dies grasping his treasure. He directed a 
label to be attached to his breast, with the words, 4 Re- 
member the words which I spake unto you, while I was 
yet present with you ;' that they might be read by all who 
came to look at his corpse, and by which he, being dead, 
still spake. The same words, at the request of his people, 
were engraven on the plate of the coffin, and read by 
thousands on the day of his interment. 

xli. 5. — Mine enemies speak evil of me. 

Mr Philip Henry used to remind those who spoke evil 
of people behind their backs, of that law,- — 4 Thou shalt 
not curse, the deaf.' Those that are absent are deaf, they 
cannot right themselves, and therefore say no ill of them. 
A friend of his, inquiring of him concerning a matter which 
tended to reflect upon some people, he began to give him 
an account of the story, but immediately broke off, and 
checked himself with these words, — ' But our rule is, to 
speak evil of no man,' and would proceed no further in the 
story. The week before he died, a person requested the 
loan of a particular book from him. t Truly,' said he, 'I 
would lend it to you, but that it takes in the faults of 
some, which should rather be covered with a mantle of 
love. 

xlii. 3. — Where is thy God ? 
* During the American war, a British officer, walking 
out at sun-rising, observed at some distance an old man, 
whom he supposed taking aim at some game. When 
come up to him, the officer took him by the arm, and said, 
4 What are you about ?' The old man made no reply, but 
waved his hand expressive of his desire for him to stand 
at a distance. This not satisfying the inquirer, he re- 
peated the question, when the native again waved his 
hand. At length, somewhat astonished, the officer said, 
4 You old fool, what are you about ?' To which he an- 
swered, 'I am worshipping the Great Spirit.' The 
question was then asked, 4 Where is He to be found?' 
To which the old man replied, 4 Soldier ! where is He not? 
and with such energy of expression, as made the officer 
confess he should never forget it to his dying day. 

xliii. 3. — 0 send out thy light and thy truth. 



PSAL^I XLY. 



253 



It is recorded of one of the Reformers, that when he 
had acquitted himself in a public disputation with great 
credit to his Master's cause, a friend begged to see the 
notes which he had been observed to write, supposing 
that he had taken down the arguments of his opponents, 
and sketched the substance of his own reply. Greatly 
was he surprised to find that his notes consisted simply 
of these ejaculatoiy petitions, i More light, Lord, — more 
light, more light !' 

xliv. 6, 7. — For I will not trust in my bow, neither 
shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from 
our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated 
us. 

During the revolutionary war of America, General 
Washington's army was reduced at one time to great 
straits, and the inhabitants of the part of the country 
where his army was encamped, were much alarmed at the 
prospect of its destruction. One of them who left his 
home with an anxious heart, one day, as he was passing 
the edge of a wood near the camp, heard the sound of a 
voice. He stopped to listen, and looking between the 
trunks of the large trees, he saw General Washington 
engaged in prayer. He passed quietly on, that he might 
not disturb him ; and on returning home, told his family, 
that he was cheered with a confident hope of the success 
of the Americans, for their leader did not trust to his own 
strength, but sought aid from the Hearer of prayer, who 
promised in His word — ' Call unto Me, and I will answer, 
and show thee great and mighty things which thou 
knowest not.' 

xlv. 13. — The king's daughter is all glorious within: 
her clothing is of wrought gold. 

One day, a poor pious woman called upon two elegant 
young ladies, who received her with Christian affection, 
regardless of her poverty, and sat down in the drawing- 
room, to converse with her upon religious subjects. 
While thus employed, their brother, a gay youth, came 
in, and appeared astonished to see his sisters thus situ- 
ated and employed. One of them instantly started up, 
saying — 1 Brother, don't be surprised ; this is a King's 
daughter, though she has not yet got on her fine clothes.' 



254 



PSALM XL VTII. 



xlvi. 11. — The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of 
Jacob is our refuge. 

The late Rev. John Wesley, after a long life of great 
labour and usefulness, concluded his course in peace and 
holy triumph. A short time before his departure, a per- 
son coming into the room, he strove to speak to him, but 
could not. Finding they could not understand him, he 
paused a little, and with all the remaining strength he had, 
cried out — ' The best of all is, God is with us ; and then, 
lifting up his dying arm in token of victory, and raising 
his feeble voice with a holy triumph, not to be expressed, 
he again repeated the heart-reviving words — ' The best of 
all is, God is with us.' 

xlvii. 6. — Sing praises to God, sing praises ; sing 
praises unto our King, sing praises. 

'Among others of your edifying compositions,' says Mr 
Hervey, in a letter to Dr Watts, ' I have reason to thank 
you for your Sacred Songs, which I have introduced into 
the service of my church ; so that, in the solemnities of 
the Sabbath, and in a lecture on the week-day, your muse 
lights up the incense of our praise, and furnishes our de- 
votions with harmony.' 

xlviii. 3-5. — God is known in her palaces for a 
refuge. For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed 
by together. They saw it, and so they marvelled ; they 
were troubled, and hasted away. 

During the rebellion in Ireland, in 1793, the rebels had 
long meditated an attack on the Moravian settlement at 
Grace-Hill, Wexford county. At length they put their 
threat in execution, and a large body of them marched to 
the town. When they arrived there, they saw no one in 
the streets or in the houses. The brethren had long ex- 
pected this attack, but true to their Christian profession, 
they w r ould not have recourse to arms for their defence, 
but assembled in their chapel, and in solemn prayer be- 
sought Him, in whom they trusted, to be their shield in 
the hour of danger. The ruffian band, hitherto breathing 
nothing but destruction and slaughter, were struck with 
astonishment at this novel sight. Where they expected 
an armed hand, they saw T it clasped in prayer — where they 
expected weapon to weapon, and the body armed for the 



PSALM LI. 



255 



fight, they saw the bended „e, and humble head, before 
the altar of the Prince of Peace. They heard the prayer 
for protection ; they heard the intended victims asking 
mercy for their murderers : they heard the song of praise, 
and the hymn of confidence, in the ' sure promise of the 
Lord.' They beheld in silence this little band of Chris- 
tians ; they felt unable to raise their hand against them ; 
and, after lingering in the streets, which they filled for a 
night and a day, with one consent they turned and 
marched away from the place, without having injured an 
individual, or purloined a single loaf of bread. In conse- 
quence of this signal mark of protection from Heaven, the 
inhabitants of the neighbouring villages brought their 
goods, and asked for shelter in Grace-Hill, which they 
called the City of Refuge. 

xlix. 5. — Wherefore should I fear in the days ot 
evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me 
about ? 

A friend, surprised at the serenity and cheerfulness 
which the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine possessed in the im- 
mediate view of death and eternity, put the question — 
1 Sir, are you not afraid of your sins ?' ' Indeed no,' was his 
answer ; 4 ever since I knew Christ, I have never thought 
highly of my frames and duties, nor am I slavishly afraid 
of my sins.' 

1. 20. — Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother. 

The late Rev. S. Pearce, of Birmingham, was a man of 
an excellent spirit. It was a rule with him to discourage 
all evil speaking ; nor would he approve of just censure, 
unless some good and necessary end was to be answered 
by it. Two of his distant friends being at his house to- 
gether, one of them, during the temporary absence of the 
other, suggested something to his disadvantage. He put 
a stop to the conversation, by observing — c He is here — 
take him aside, and tell him of it by himself ; you may 
do him good.' 

li. 3. — I acknowledge my transgressions ; and my 
sin is ever before me. 

Sir John Brenton, Royal Navy, brought home from the 
Cape of Good Hope a clever little Hottentot boy, and in 
a letter to Dr Philip, states that a change had taken place 



256 



PSALM LIII. 



in the character of the hoy ; in proof of which he adds — 
* A clergyman asked him which character in the Old Tes- 
tament he would rather have been, if it were left to his 
choice. The hoy replied, " David's." " Why David's 
rather than Solomon's, whose reign was so glorious ?" 
" Why ? We have evidence of David's repentance," said 
the lad, "but I don't find anything in the Bible, that 
enables me to draw the same satisfactory conclusion con- 
cerning the repentance of Solomon." ' 

lii. 5. — God shall likewise destroy thee for ever ; he 
shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwell- 
ing-place, and root thee out of the land of the living. 

Mr Rowe, a Nonconformist minister, who had been 
ejected from Litchet, was informed against for preaching 
in a cottage among his old parishioners. He escaped into 
another county; but many of the hearers were appre- 
hended, and carried before a justice, who, hearing that 
Mr Howe's text had been, 4 Mortify your members which 
are upon the earth,' profanely burlesqued the words, and 
uttered many indecencies. Not long after, he was seized 
with a mortal disease, which was of such a nature, that, 
on his deathbed, he declared it was a just judgment on 
him for his profaneness in this instance. The informer 
himself soon afterwards had the use of one side taken 
from him, and died in that state ; and a peace-officer, 
who had assisted him in disturbing the meeting, was 
within a few weeks killed by his own cart, directly oppo- 
site to the house where the meeting was held. 

liii. 1. — The fool hath said in his heart, There is no 
God. 

The three young men who were executed in Edinburgh, 
in 1812, immediately after committing the robberies for 
which they suffered, had gone to Glasgow ; and one even- 
ing they heard the family with whom they lodged em- 
ployed in the worship of God. This struck their minds 
exceedingly, and suggested the question — Whether there 
is a God, and a world to come ? After some discussion, 
they came to this conclusion — 'That there is no God, 
and no world to come !' — a conclusion, as they themselves 
acknowledged, to which they came on this sole ground — 
and how much of the infidelity that abounds in the world 
rests on no better ? — that they wished it to be so. 



ps.-vL:\r lvi. 



257 



liv. 5. — He shall reward evil unto mine enemies. 

In the reign of Henry VLL, Dr YVnittington. a bishop's 
chancellor, having condemned a pious woman to the 
flames at Chipping. Sodbury. went to that town to witness 
the courageous manner in which she set her seal to the 
truth of the Gospel. On his return from that affecting 
scene, a furious bull passed through the crowd, none of 
whom suffered from him. gored the chancellor, and sud- 
denly inflicted death in a most awful manner. 

lv. 17. — Evening and morning, and at noon, will I 
pray, and ery aloud : and he shall hear my voice. 

'A short time since." says a lady. *I was one evening 
with a friend, after having dismissed my children for the 
night, when a servant came in and whispered to me. that 
my eldest boy. about six years of age. was crying very 
much, and said he must speak tome. As it was very un- 
usual for me to hear such an account of him. I was much 
concerned, and hastened to his bed-room, when I found 
him in the greatest distress and agitation. On inquiring 
the cause, he said, " 0. mamma, nurse has put me to bed 
without hearing me say my prayers, and I dare not go to 
sleep, without asking God to watch over me while I 
sleep." As he had been some time in bed, and was quite 
feverish from agitation. I feared his taking cold, and de- 
sired him to kneel on the bed. He gave me a most ex- 
pressive look, and replied. "Xo, mamma. I must kneel on 
the floor ; God will not listen to me if I say my prayers 
in bed.'' Such views had he of the spiritual nature of 
prayer, and of the reverence due to the Great Creator.' 

lvi. 9. — When I cry unto thee, then shall mine ene- 
mies turn back. 

The Eev. Thomas Bradbury, having one evening called 
his servants to family worship, which he regularly ob- 
served, they came up stairs without recollecting to shut 
the area door, next the street. Some fellows seeking to 
commit robbery, happened to observe the door open, and 
one of them getting over the palisadoes, entered the 
house. Creeping up stairs, he heard the old gentleman 
praying that God would preserve his house from tl> 
The man was so struck as to be unable to persist in his 
wicked design. He therefore returned, and told the cir- 



258 



PSALM LVIII. 



cumstance to his companion, who abused him for his 
timidity. But the man himself was so affected, that soon 
after, he related the event to Mr B., and became an at- 
tendant on his ministry. 

1 vii. 1. — In the shadow of thy wings will I make my 
refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 

At one time, when a pious minister of the Gospel was 
passing over a hill, a lark, pursued by a hawk, took refuge 
in his bosom ; he kindly lodged the little refugee, till, 
having reached a considerable distance from its persecu- 
tor, he gave it liberty to soar and sing in safety. The 
circumstance suggested to his mind a train of happy 
thoughts, which he brought forward in a discourse from 
Psalm xxxiv. 22, 4 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his 
servants ; and none of them that trust in Him shall be 
desolate.' 

lviii. 4, 5. — They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth 
her ear ; which will not hearken to the voice of char- 
mers, charming never so wisely. 

The preceding passage has been often referred to, as 
expressing the unwillingness of sinners to receive Divine 
truth, and to comply with the call of the Gospel. The 
following anecdote exhibits an instance of this kind : — 

The late Mr Friend, with some other missionaries, on 
one occasion met a number of heathen, including several 
Brahmins, and during the interview, they were plainly and 
coarsely told, that they were gross deceivers, who went 
about to ensnare the people. 'Anxious that we should 
not leave this band of idolaters,' adds Mr Friend, 4 with- 
out reading to them some portion of truth, I proposed 
that a tract should be read. No sooner, however, was 
that proposed, than an old man rose and said, " Nay, ex- 
cuse me, I must make my salaam; this may do for a 
bazaar, but it will not do here ; we are not to be taken in 
your net ; you will not make converts of us." Probably 
superstition, as well as fear, prompted this conduct, for 
the natives declare that there is a spell in our books. 
True, the Gospel is the poAver of God unto salvation to 
every one that believeth : but alas for those who refuse 
to hear its message ! These poor creatures were sad ex- 
amples of those whom the god of this world hath blinded 



PSALM LX. 



259 



lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the 
image of God, should shine unto them.' 

lix. 12. — For the sin of their mouth, and the words 
of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride; 
and for cursing and lying which they speak. 

Some years ago, a person of considerable property and 
eminence in the city of N , who lived in habits of im- 
piety and profaneness, was seized by an indisposition, 
which induced him to call a medical gentleman ; but 
being disappointed for a time, by his absence from home, 
he fell into a violent agitation, which was vented in horrid 
imprecations. As soon as the medical gentleman arrived, 
he was saluted with volleys of oaths. The violence of his 
agitation broke a blood-vessel ; so that oaths and blood 
continued to flow from his mouth, till he could speak no 
longer ; and in this situation he expired. The physician 
was much affected by the awful dispensation. Bishop 
Hall observes, that ' suddenness of death certainly argues 
anger, when it finds us in an act of sin. God strikes some, 
that He may warn all.' 

lx. 11, 12. — Give us help from trouble; for vain is 
the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly : 
for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. 

HenrielV. of France uttered the following prayer, just 
before a battle, in which he obtained a complete victory : 
— 'O Lord of hosts ! who canst see through the thickest 
veil, and closest disguise ; who viewest the bottom of my 
heart, and the deepest designs of my enemies ; who hast 
in Thine hands, as well as before Thine eyes, all the 
events which concern human life ; if Thou knowest that 
my reign will promote Thy glory, and the safety of Thy 
people ; if Thou knowest that I have no other ambition 
in my soul, but to advance the honour of Thy holy name, 
and the good of this state ; favour, O great God ! the 
justice of my arms, and reduce all the rebels to acknow- 
ledge him, whom Thy sacred decrees, and the order of a 
lawful succession, have made their sovereign ; but if Thy 
good providence has ordered it otherwise, and Thou seest 
that I should prove one of those kings whom Thou givest 
in Thine anger, take from me, 0 merciful God ! my life 
and my crown ; make me this day a sacrifice to Thy will ; 



260 



PSALM LXIIT. 



let my death end the calamities of France, and let my 
blood be the last that is spilt in this quarrel.' 

lxi. 2. — Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. 

A few days before the death of a pious little girl, her 
father had been preaching from the above passage. Upon 
rejoining his afflicted family, the text was mentioned, and 
an outline of the sermon given, with which she appeared 
powerfully arrested. Upon the remark being made, that 
Christ is constantly spoken of both in the Old and New 
Testaments as a Rock, especially in the Psalms, and how 
delightful it was to the believer, that, when placed upon 
this Rock, the storms of life or of death could not remove 
him, for there he was safe, she seemed to derive much 
strength and comfort from what had been brought to her 
notice ; and in all the subsequent readings of the Psalms, 
whenever the rock was spoken of, she stopped her mother, 
saying, £ Here, mamma, is the Rock again.' 

lxii. 10. — If riches increase, set not your heart upon 
them. 

Some years before the death of the Rev. Andrew 
Puller, a friend had taken him to the bank, when one of 
the clerks, to whom he had occasion to speak, showed 
him some ingots of gold. Mr Puller seemed to tarry as 
he balanced one of them in his hand, while his companion 
was in haste to be gone. Thoughtfully eyeing the gold, 
he said, as he laid it down, 4 How much better is it to 
have this in the hand than in the heart ! ' 

Ixiii. 2. — To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have 
seen thee in the sanctuary. 

The Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, on the first Sabbath after 
his settlement at Stirling, allowed the congregation to 
continue singing considerably longer than usual, before 
he rose to offer up the first prayer. Some of his elders, 
who had observed the circumstance, and apprehended 
that it was the consequence of indisposition, when they 
saw him next day, made kind inquiries respecting his 
health. He told them that his delaying so long to stand 
up was owing to no bodily complaint ; ' but the days of 
grace he had enjoyed at Portmoak (where he was for- 
merly minister) came afresh to his remembrance, with 



PSATjM lxv. 



261 



these words, "I am the God of Bethel and his mind 
was so overpowered, that he scarcely knew how to rise.' 

lxiv. 7, 8. — God shall shoot at them with an arrow ; 
suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make 
their own tongue to fall upon themselves : all that see 
them shall flee away. 

The striking fact detailed in the following lines of 
poem-, took place in the spring of 1812, at a public-house 
in Rochester, in the county of Kent : — 

Xow to my tale and ditty 
I beg youll lend an ear : — 

TVo sailors in a city 
Began to cnrse and swear. 
The one was a brawler, a slave to bis sin, 
On mischief was bent, and in haste to begin : 
In a tempest of wrath he swore he would fight, 
Take vengeance on Robert, and kill him outright. 
Alas I how this wretch was transported with rage. 
He deserved to be irond and put in a cage. 
The old man, the landlord, himself interfered, 
He raised his voice, and his arm he nprear'd : 
1 Suppose, wicked rascal, God you should strike dead, 
And send you to hell with His curse on your head 1 1 
The sailor replied, with an oath most severe, 
' God cannot do that — give the tankard of beer ; 
If He can, to the regions of hell I will sink, 
Before this good liquor of your's I shall drink! ' 

The tankard he seized with an oath most profane, 
But he instantly fell as one that was slain ! 
He spoke not a word, nor a sigh did he heave. — 
The Judge would not grant him one moment's reprieve. 
The terror created, each mind petrified, 
To think that a man his great Maker defied ! 
They gazed on his corpse — ah, the spirit was fled; 
The stroke was severe — now the sinner was dead. 

lxv. 5. — By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou 
answer us, 0 God of our salvation. 

The Rev. Dr Lathrop of America, illustrating in a ser- 
mon the sentiment, that ' God often answers prayer in a 
way we do not expect,' introduced the following facts : — 
' A poor African negro was led, while in his own country, 
by the consideration of the works of nature, to a convic- 
tion of the existence and benevolence of a Supreme 
Being. Impressed with this fact, he used daily to pray 
to this Great Being, that by some means or other he might 
more distinctly know Him. About this time he was 
taken, with many others, and sold for a slave. For a 



262 



psalm Lini. 



while he hesitated as to the view he had taken of God, 
and thought that, if there did indeed exist a just and 
good Being, as he had supposed, He would not allow 
fraud and iniquity to prevail against innocence and in- 
tegrity. But after awhile this poor slave was introduced 
into a pious family in Xew England, where he was in- 
structed in Christianity, and enabled to rejoice in God as 
his friend. He was now persuaded of the fact, that ad- 
verse providences are often the means of answering our 
prayers, and conducting us to the greatest happiness. 

Lxvi. 16. — Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and 
I will declare what he hath done for my soul. 

1 While I was in Edinburgh last,' says the Rev. Ebe- 
nezer Erskine in his diary, March 13, 171 J, 4 on the Wed- 
nesday after the sacrament, Jean Bauvit came to see me 
in my chamber ; and she and I entered on spiritual dis- 
course. She told me that she had been made to have a 
very savoury remembrance of me several times, about 
this occasion of the sacrament, both before and after it. 
She told me what expressions of the Lord's love she has 
had, and what nearness she had been admitted to, at this 
sacrament. O what wonders of free grace and love has 
the Lord displayed towards her ! She is a person of more 
nearness to God than any that I know. How much of 
His image is discernible in her ! What gravity and so- 
lidity I Something of Christ in almost every word she 
speaks, and a sweet savour of heaven.' 

Ixvii. 5, 6. — Let the people praise thee, 0 God : let 
all the people praise thee. Then shall the ear::: yield 
her increase : and God, even our own God, shall bless 
us. 

It is -said that Bishop Portens, four days previous to his 
death, inquired of one of his friends how the Bible Society 
was succeeding in some great town, in which it had been 
proposed; and on being informed that all denominations 
had embraced it with ardour, and that the Church had 
taken the lead, a momentary glow of satisfaction flushed 
his pallid cheeks, he raised himself on his chair, as if 
youth had been revived, and exclaimed. ; Then you will 
see glorious days ! : 



PSALM LXXI. 



263 



Ixviii. 5. — A father of the fatherless, and a judge of 
the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 

When the Eev. William Wilson of Perth was on bis 
death-bed, his son Gilbert, who was eleven years of agi, 
hearing of his distress, hurried home from Abernethy, 
where he was attending school. But his father was gone 
when he arrived at Perth. As he approached the house, 
he observed some persons who had been waiting on his 
deceased parent withdrawing, and from their appearance 
could easily perceive what had taken place. He rushed 
into the room, where he found his mother, and the rest 
of the children, in tears. 1 Mother,' said the interesting 
youth, grasping her hand, 1 w r e have a new claim on God 
to-day. You, my dear mother, have a claim on Him for 
a husband, and my sisters, brother, and myself, have a 
claim on Him for a father.' 

lxix. 9. — The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. 

AnI ndian having heard from a white man some stric- 
tures on zeal, replied, 'I don't know about having too 
much zeal, but I think it is better the pot should boil over, 
than not boil at all.' 

Ixx. 5. — I am poor and needy ; make haste unto me, 
0 God ; thou art my help and my deliverer ; O Lord, 
make no tarrying. 

When Melancthon w T as entreated by his friends to lay 
aside the natural anxiety and timidity of his temper, he 
replied, 1 If I had no anxieties, I should lose a powerful 
incentive to prayer ; but when the cares of life impel to 
devotion, the best means of consolation, a religious mind 
cannot do without them. Thus, trouble compels me to 
prayer, and prayer drives away trouble.' 

Ixxi. 18. — Now, also, when lam old and greyheaded, 
O God, forsake me not. 

Martin Bucer was visited in his last sickness by several 
learned men, and among others, by Mr John Bradford, 
who, on taking leave of him to go to preach, told him he 
would remember him in his prayers ; on which Bucer, 
with tears in his eyes, said, ' Cast me not off, O Lord, 
now in my old age, when my strength faileth me.' Soon 
after, he said, ' He hath afflicted me sore, but He will 



264 



PSAI*M LXXIV. 



never cast me off. 5 Being desired to arm himself with 
faith, and a stedfast hope in God's mercies, against the 
temptations of Satan, he said, ; I am wholly Christ's, and 
the devil has nothing to do with me ; and God forbid that 
I should not now have experience of the sweet consolation 
in Christ.' 

lxxii. 18. 19— Blessed be the Lord God,, the God of 
Israel, who alone doeth wondrous things, and let the 
whole earth be filled with his glory. 

At a late public meeting. Dr P related the follow- 
ing anecdote of a lady of distinction, of deep piety and 
zeal for the cause of God. in whom ' the ruling passion' 
was remarkably strong in death. She was just sinking 
into the arms of death, when he thought he would repeat 
aloud the account of the success in the South Sea Islands. 
The dying saint had for some time ceased to speak or to 
move ; she was not. however, insensible ; for. on hearing 
the intelligence, she was somewhat roused, and distinctly 
articulated, 1 Xow, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 
who only doeth wondrous things ; and let the whole earth 
be filled with His glory.' Scarcely had she ceased to 
utter these words, when she commenced singing the song 
of Moses and the Lamb in heaven. 

lxxiii. 22. — So foolish was I, and ignorant, I was as 
a beast before thee. 

The late Rev. John Brown being asked, when on his 
death-bed, if he remembered of his preaching on this text. 
4 So foolish was I, and ignorant, I was as a beast before 
Thee,' he replied. ; Yes. I remember it very well ; and I 
remember too, that when I described the beast, I drew 
the picture from my own heart. But, oh. amazing con- 
sideration ! " Nevertheless I am continually with thee; 
thou hast holden me by my right hand." ' 

lxxiv. 20. — Have respect unto the covenant ; for the 
dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of 
cruelty. 

When Messrs Tyerman and Bennett visited Matavai, 
one of the South Sea Islands, Mr Nott, one of the mis- 
sionaries there, assured them, that three-fourths of the 
children were wont to be murdered as soon as they were 



PSALM LXXVI. 



265 



born, by one or other of the unnatural parents, or by 
some person employed for that purpose — wretches being 
found who might be called infant assassins by trade. He 
mentioned having met a woman, soon after the abolition 
of the diabolical practice, to whom he said, ' How many 
children have you?' 'This one in my arms,' was her 
answer. ' And how many did you kill ?' She replied, 
' Eight!' Another woman, to whom the same questions 
were put, confessed that she had destroyed seventeen ! Xor 
were these solitary cases. Sin was so effectually doing 
its own work in these dark places of the earth, that, full 
as they were of the habitations of cruelty and wickedness, 
war, profligacy, and murder, were literally exterminating 
a people unworthy to live ; and soon would the cities 
have been wasted without inhabitants, the houses without 
a man, and the land been utterly desolate. But the 
Gospel stepped in, and the plague was stayed. Now 
the mothers nurse their infants with the tenderest affec- 
tion. 

]xxv. 4. — I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly; 
and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn. 

A minister of the Gospel having made several attempts 
to reform a profligate, was at length repulsed with, ; It is 
all in vain, doctor, you cannot get me to change my re- 
ligion.' ' I do not want that,' replied the good man — ; I 
wish religion to change you.' 

Ixxvi. 7. — Th >u. even thou, art to be feared ; and 
who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry ? 

"When Rabbi Jochanan Ben Zachai was sick, his dis- 
ciples came to visit him. and when he saw them he began 
to weep. They said to him, ' Rabbi, the light of Israel, 
the right hand pillar, the strong hammer, wherefore dost 
thou weep?' He answered. 'If they were carrying me 
before a king of flesh and blood, who is here to-day and 
to-morrow in the grave, who, if he were angry with me, 
his anger would not last for ever ; if he put me in prison, 
his prison would not be everlasting; if he condemned me 
to death, that death would not be eternal ; whom I could 
soothe with words, or bribe with riches ; yet even in such 
circumstances I should weep. But now I am going before 
the King of kings, the holy and blessed God, who liveth 
and endureth, who, if He be angry with me. His anger 



266 



PSALM LXXVIII. 



will last for ever ; if He put me in prison, His bondage 
will be everlasting ; if He condemn me to death, that death 
will be eternal ; whom I cannot soothe with words, nor 
bribe with riches; when, further, there are before me 
two ways, the one to hell and the other to paradise, and I 
know not into which they are carrying me, shall I not 
weep ?' 

Ixxvii. 2. — My soul refused to be comforted. 

Mr Baxter, giving an account of Mr James Nalton, a 
holy minister, but subject to occasional depression of 
spirits, says, 1 Less than a year before his death, he fell 
into a grievous fit of melancholy, in which he was so con- 
fident of his gracelessness, that he usually cried out, " O, 
not one spark of grace, not one good desire or thought ! 
I can no more pray than a post. If an angel from heaven 
would tell me that I have true grace, I would not believe 
him." And yet at that time did he pray very well ; and 
I could demonstrate his sincerity so much to him in his 
desires and life, that he had not a word to say against it, 
but yet was harping still on the same string, and would 
hardly be persuaded that he was melancholy. It pleased 
God to recover him from this fit, and shortly after he 
confessed that what I said was true, that his despair was 
all the effect of melancholy, and rejoiced much in God's 
deliverance.' 

lxxviii. 4. — We will not hide them from their child- 
ren, showing to the generation to come the praises of 
the Lord. 

4 It had been my manner for a long time,' says Mr 
Boston in his 'Memoirs,' 'besides the catechising of the 
parish every year, to have days of catechising for those 
of the younger sort, and they met in the kirk once a-fort- 
night, sometimes once a-week, sometimes in my house. 
I learnt it from Mr Charles Gordon, a grave learned man, 
minister of Ashkirk. By this course I got several young 
people of both sexes trained up to a good measure of 
knowledge, — some of them to this day are solid and 
knowing Christians ; and the whole youth of the parish, 
who were disposed, and had access to wait on, came to- 
gether, and as occasion required. Sometimes these meet- 
ings were closed with a warm exhortation to practical 
religion.' 



FSALM LXXXI. 



267 



Ixxix. 10. — Wherefore should the heathen say, 
Where is their God ? 

Mr Thomas Worts was ejected, in 1662, from the 
church of Burningham, Norfolk, and was afterwards 
pastor of a congregation at Guestwick, in the same county. 
He was brought from Burningham into Norwich, with a 
sort of brutal triumph, his legs being chained under the 
horse's belly. As he was conducted to the castle, a woman 
looking out of a chamber window, near the gate through 
which he was brought in, called out in contempt and de- 
rision, 'Worts, where's now your God?' The good con- 
fessor in bonds desired her to turn to JYIicah vii. 10. She 
did so, and was so struck with the passage, that she was 
a kind friend to him in his long confinement. 

lxxx. 10. — The boughs thereof were like the goodly 
cedars. 

Maundrel, in giving a description of the cedars of Le- 
banon, says, ' I measured one of the largest, and found it 
twelve yards six inches in girth, and yet sound, and thirty- 
seven yards in the spread of its boughs. At about five or 
six yards from the ground, it was divided into five limbs, 
each of which was equal to a great tree.' 

Ixxxi. 11, 12. — My people would not hearken to my 
voice ; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them 
up unto their own hearts' lust, and they walked in 
their own counsels. 

A gentleman called his sons around his dying bed, and 
gave them the following relation : — 4 When I was a 
youth, the Spirit strove with me, and seemed to say, 
" Seek religion now ;" but Satan suggested the necessity 
of waiting till I grew up, because it was incompatible 
with youthful amusement ; so I resolved I would wait till 
I grew up to be a man. I did so, and was then reminded 
of my promise to seek religion — but Satan again advised 
me to wait till middle age, for business and a young 
family demanded all my attention. Yes, I said, I will do 
so — I will wait till middle age. I did so — my serious 
impressions left me for some years. They were again re- 
newed, conscience reminded me of my promises ; the 
Spirit said, " Seek religion now ;" but then I had less 
time than ever j Satan advised my waiting till I was old, 



268 



PSALM LXXX1I. 



then my children would be settled in business, and I 
should have nothing else to do — I could then give an un- 
divided attention to it. I listened to his suggestion, and 
the Spirit ceased to strive with me. I have lived to be 
old, but now I have no desire as formerly to attend to the 
concerns of my soul — my heart is hardened. I have re- 
sisted and quenched the Spirit, now there is no hope ; 
already I feel a hell within, the beginning of an eternal 
misery. I feel the gnawings of that worm that never 
dies. Take warning from my miserable end — seek reli- 
gion now — let nothing tempt you to put off this important 
concern.' Then in the greatest agonies he expired. It 
is dreadful to trifle with the Spirit of God ! 

lxxxii. 3, 4. — Defend the poor and fatherless ; do 
justice to the afflicted and needy : Deliver the poor 
and needy ; rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 

There lived in the city of Zurich, a person who, though 
an unworthy character, was a member of its Senate. Dur- 
ing the time he was prefect over a district of the Canton, 
he had committed innumerable acts of the grossest injus- 
tice ; yea, such flagrant crimes, that all the country people 
reproached and cursed him ; but no one dared to prose- 
cute him, as he was related to several members of the 
Zurich government, and son-in-law to the chief magis- 
trate of the city. Mr Lavater, the celebrated physiogno- 
mist, having often heard of the atrocities of the prefect, 
committed against even helpless widows and orphans, and 
having duly examined into them, felt an irresistible de- 
sire to plead the cause of the poor and oppressed. He 
was aware that his supporting this cause would expose 
him to the frowns of the great and the mighty, and occa- 
sion much anxiety to his friends ; but conceiving it to be 
his duty, he determined to proceed. Having prepared 
himself by earnest prayer, and consulted an intimate 
friend, he addressed a letter to the prefect, in which he 
strongly reproached him for his detestable actions, and 
plainly signified his intention to bring him to public jus- 
tice, should he not restore his spoils within two months. 
The time having elapsed, and no restoration having been 
made, Mr Lavater proceeded to print a solemn indictment 
against him, which he caused to be delivered to every 
member of the Zurich government. At first he concealed 



PSALM LXXXIY. 



2C9 



his name ; but when called upon, he came forward in the 
most open manner, nobly avowed and fully proved the 
points of his indictment before the whole senate — had the 
satisfaction to see the wicked prefect (who, conscious of 
his guilt, had saved himself by flight) solemnly con- 
demned by law, his unjust property confiscated, and re- 
storation made to oppressed poverty and innocence. 

lxxxiii. 15. — Persecute them with thy tempest, and 
make them afraid with thy storm. 

When the celebrated Mr Blair, of the seventeenth cen- 
tury, was deposed by Bishop Bramble of Deny, in Ire- 
land, he cited the bishop to appear before the tribunal of 
Christ, to answer for that wicked action. ' I appeal,' said 
the bishop, ' from the justice of God to His mercy.' ' Your 
appeal,' replied Mr Blair, 4 is likely to be rejected; be- 
cause, in prohibiting us the exercise of our ministry, you 
act against the light of your own conscience.' The bishop 
was shortly after smitten with sickness, and when Dr 
Maxwell, his physician, inquired at him what was his par- 
ticular complaint, after a long silence, he replied, ' It is 
my conscience !' 'I have,' rejoined the doctor, 'no cure 
for that.' This confession the friends of the bishop en- 
deavoured to suppress; but the Countess of Andes, who 
had it from the doctor's mouth, and who was worthy of 
credit, used to say, ' Xo man shall suppress that report ; 
for I shall bear witness of it to the glory of God, who 
smote him for persecuting Christ's faithful servants.' 

lxxxiv. 10. — A day in thy courts is better than a 
thousand : I had rather be a door-keeper in the house 
of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

A man who lived in a house by himself, had always 
been in the practice of going regularly to public worship, 
but some years previous, for a considerable time, he had 
found so little comfort in hearing the Gospel, that more 
than once he had debated with himself if it would not be 
as well to remain at home on the Lord's day. One Satur- 
day night he made up his mind that he would not attend 
sermon next day, and went to rest with this resolution on 
his mind. What was his surprise, when he awoke from 
his sleep, to find that the Sabbath was nearly gone. 
' When I awoke,' said he, ' it was the evening of the Sab- 



270 



PSALM LXXXVII. 



bath. I was struck with the reproof. I had basely re- 
solved that I should not worship. God in His house on 
His own day, and He did not allow me to awake to spend 
it in any other manner. The reproof was of use to me ; 
since that time I have never trifled with my duty of 
seeking God in His sanctuary, and I hope I have done it 
often since that time with much comfort.' 

Ixxxv. 8.— He will speak peace unto his people, and 
to his saints ; but let them not turn again to folly. 

An eminent servant of Christ, being suddenly intro- 
duced into a large and respectable assembly, was re- 
quested to deliver an extemporary address on 1 The Peace 
of God.' To this request he replied, in terms of the 
deepest humiliation, that it was impossible for him, at 
present, to speak on that subject, as he had unhappily 
deprived himself of that invaluable blessing by his un- 
faithfulness to God. He then sat down, silently humbling 
himself before the Lord. This frank confession became 
the means, it is said, of the conversion of one of the com- 
pany. 

lxxxvi. 7. — In the day of my trouble I will call upon 
thee ; for thou wilt answer me. 

It is well known that many of the good men who were 
driven from this country to America, by persecution, in 
the seventeenth century, had to endure great privations. 
In the month of June 1623, their hopes of a harvest were 
nearly blasted by drought, which withered up their corn, 
and made the grass look like hay. All expected to perish 
with hunger. In their distress they set apart a day for 
humiliation and prayer, and continued their worship for 
eight or nine hours. God heard their prayers, and an- 
swered them in a way which excited universal admira- 
tion. Although the morning of that day was clear, and 
the weather very hot and dry during the whole forenoon, 
yet before night it began to rain, and gentle showers con- 
tinued to fall for many days, so that the ground became 
thoroughly soaked, and the drooping corn revived. 

Ixxxvii. 3. — Glorious things are spoken of thee, O 
city of God. 

Fulgentius, being at Rome, and observing the glory of 
the Roman nobility, the triumphant pomp of King Theo- 



PSALM LXXXIX. 



271 



doric, and the universal splendour and gaiety of that city, 
was so far from being impressed in favour of what he saw, 
that raising up his thoughts to heavenly joys, he said to 
some of his friends that accompanied him, ' How beauti- 
ful must the celestialJerusalem be, since terrestrial Rome 
is so glittering ! If such honour be given to lovers of 
vanity, what glory shall be imparted to the saints, who 
are lovers and followers of truth ! ' 

lxxxviii. 3. — My soul is full of troubles, and my life 
draweth nigh unto the grave. 

Mr Johnson gives the following account of one of the 
school girls, about fifteen years of age, at Regent's Town, 
Sierra Leone : — ' She always complained of the depravity 
of her heart. I was called up this morning about one 
o'clock, by the woman who attends the sick in the Female 
Hospital. I found this poor girl in great distress of mind. 
She cried aloud, " Massa, what shall I do ? what shall I 
do ? I am going to die now, and my sins be too much. I 
thief — I lie — I curse — I do bad too much — I bad past all 
people, and now me must die! — What shall I do?" I 
spoke to her on the ability and willingness of Jesus to 
save her. She said that she had prayed to Jesus to par- 
don her sins, but did not know whether He had heard 
her prayers. After I had spoken to her for some time, 
she became calm, and appeared to be in earnest prayer. 
I saw her again after family prayer. She appeared quite 
composed, and spoke a few words with great difficulty, to 
express her peace of mind. I visited her once more ; 
and, on asking her how she did, she said with great diffi- 
culty, " I pray ; " and soon afterwards departed.' 

lxxxix. 48. — What man is he that liveth, and shall 
not see death ? shall he deliver his soul from the hand 
of the grave ? 

Mr Philip Henry, t the monthly lectures at his own 
house, preached upou the four last things, death, judg- 
ment, heaven, and hell, in many particulars, but com- 
monly with a new text for every sermon. When he had, 
in many sermons, finished the first of the four, a person 
who used to hear him sometimes, inquiring of his progress 
in his subjects, asked him if he had done with death, 
meaning that subject concerning death ; to which he 



272 



PSALM xcn. 



pleasantly replied — *Xo. I have not done with him yet. 
I must have another turn with him. and he will give me 
a fall ; but I hope to have the victory at last.' 

xc. 9. — We spend our years as a tale that is told. 

A minister in Scotland, preaching a sermon to his con- 
gregation on the last Sabbath of the year 1793. on con- 
trasting the shortness of life with eternity, and having 
mentioned the preceding passage of Scripture, fell back, 
and immediately expired. 

xci. 3. — Surely he shall deliver thee from the noisome 
pestilence. 

Lord Craven lived in London when that sad calamity, 
the plague, raged. His house was in that part of the 
town since called Craven Buildings. On the plague 
growing epidemic, his lordship, to avoid the danger, re- 
solved to go to his seat in the country. His coach and 
six were accordingly at the door, his baggage put up. and 
all things in readiness for the journey. As he was walk- 
ing through his hall with his hat on. his cane under his 
arm. and putting on his gloves, in order to step into his 
carriage, he overheard his negro, who served him as pos- 
tilion, saying to another servant. ; I suppose, by my Lord's 
quitting London to avoid the plague, that his God lives 
in the country, and not in town.' The poor negro said 
this in the simplicity of his heart, as really believing 
a plurality of gods. The speech, however, struck Lord 
Craven very sensibly, and made him pause. 'My God.' 
thought he, 1 lives everywhere, and can preserve me in 
town as well as in the country. I will even stay where I 
am. The ignorance of that negro has just now preached 
to me a very useful sermon. Lord, pardon this unbelief, 
and that distrust of Thy providence, which made me think 
of running from Thy hand.' He immediately ordered his 
horses to be taken from the coach, and the "baggage to 
be taken in. He continued at London, was remarkably 
useful among his sick neighbours, and never caught the 
infection. 

xcii. 1, 2. — It is a good thing to give thanks unto 
the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, 0 most 
High : to show forth thy loving-kindness in the morn- 
ing, and thy faithfulness every night. 



PSALM XCIII. 



273 



* About twelve years ago,' writes one, in a letter to a 
minister, ' I had occasion to pass a toll-bar in the west of 
Fife, and happened to enter into conversation with the 
toll-keeper, whom I found a very intelligent, and ap- 
parently a truly pious old man. In the course of our 
conversation, the great decline even in the outward forms 
of religion was mentioned ; and as a striking proof of 
this, the toll-keeper remarked : " When I was a young 
man, about fifty years ago, I left Aberdeen, and came to 
work as a journeyman flax-dresser in a respectable town 
in the county of Fife ; and for the two first weeks or so 
after I arrived, curiosity led me out every morning at the 
breakfast hour to see the town, and at this time every 
door was shut, and the inmates engaged at family wor- 
ship, except two doors which I never observed to be 
shut ; but these families perhaps might have some reason- 
able excuse for not being employed like their neighbours. 
The two doors I remember most distinctly at this day, 
and could point them out. And before I left the town, 
about a year ago, it was nearly as rare to see a shut door 
for the purpose of family worship, as it was at the former 
period to see an open one ! " ' What matter of deep 
regret, when so becoming and important an exercise is 
abandoned ! 

xciii. 5. — Thy testimonies are very sure ; holiness 
becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever. 

The late Rev. Claudius Buchanan, shortly after he had 
visited the principal parts of Europe, was met on the 
streets of London by an old Highlander of Scotland, who 
was an intimate acquaintance of his father. In order to 
have a little conversation, they went into a public house, 
and took some refreshment. Young Claudius gave his 
countryman a very animated description of his tour, and 
of the wonders he had seen upon the Continent. The 
old man listened with attention to his narrative, and then 
eagerly inquired whether his religious principles had not 
been materially injured by mixing among such a variety 
of characters and religions, 'Do you know what an in- 
fidel is ? ' said Buchanan. ' Yes,' was the reply. ' Then,' 
said he, 'I am an infidel ; and have seen the absurdity of 
all those nostrums my good old father used to teach me 
in the north ; and can you, added he, 1 seriously believe 

s 



274 



PSALM XCV 



that the Bible is a revelation from the Supreme Being ? ' 
'I do.' ' And pray tell me what may be your reasons ?' 
f Claude,' said the good old Highlander, ' I know nothing 
about what learned men call the external evidences of re- 
velation, but I will tell you why I believe it to be from 
God. I have a most depraved and sinful nature, and, do 
what I will, I find I cannot make myself holy. My 
friends cannot do it for me, nor do I think all the angels 
in heaven could. One thing alone does it, — the reading 
and believing what I read in that blessed book, — that 
does it. Now, as I know that God must be holy, and a 
lover of holiness, and as I believe that book is the only 
thing in creation that produces and promotes holiness, I 
conclude that it is from God, and that He is the Author 
of it.' 

xciv. 23. — He shall cut them off in their own wicked- 
ness. 

The following is an extract of a letter from a minister 
in a small sea-port town in Scotland : — ' I have just now 

heard of a dreadful scene. One , for many years 

master of a coasting vessel, an inhabitant of this place, 
had, in his younger days, made a distinguished profession 
of religion ; and, among the small but respectable body 
to which he belonged, he was deemed an eminent Chris- 
tian. Many years ago, this man became a Deist, — nay, 
an avowed Atheist, — and made the Being of Deity and a 
future state the subjects of his ridicule and profane 
mockery. For horrid swearing and lewdness he had per- 
haps few equals in Scotland. Last night, in a public- 
house, when in a rage of swearing, he dropt into eternity 
in a moment, by the rupture of a blood-vessel. How awful, 
to be hurried before the tribunal of God in the very act 
of blasphemy ! ' 

xcv. 7, 8. — To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden 
not your heart. 

Rabbi Eliezer said, 'Turn to God one day before your 
death.' His disciples said, 'How can a man know 
the day of his death?' He answered them, 'Therefore 
you should turn to God to-day. Perhaps you may 
die to-morrow'; thus, every day will be employed in 
returning.' 



PSALM XCVII. 



275 



xcvi. 10. — Say among the heathen that the Lord 
reigneth: the world also shall be established, that it 
shall not be moved : he shall judge the people 
righteously. 

At a public festival at Raiatea, a South Sea Island, 
some of the chiefs and others addressed the company, in 
brief and spirited appeals to their memory, of the abomi- 
nations of past times, and to their gratitude for the glo- 
rious and blessed changes which the Gospel of Christ had 
wrought among them. They compared their present man- 
ner of feasting, their improved dress, their purer enjoy- 
ments, their more courteous behaviour, the cleanliness of 
their persons, and the delicacy of their language in con- 
versation, with their former gluttony, nakedness, riot, 
brutality, filthy customs, and obscene talk. One of the 
speakers observed, ' At such a feast as this, a few years 
ago, none but kings, or great chiefs, or strong men, could 
have got anything good to eat ; the poor, and the feebley 
and the lame, would have been trampled under foot, and 
many of them killed in the quarrels and battles that fol- 
lowed the gormandizing and drunkenness.' — 'This,' said 
another, 1 is the reign of Jehovah — that was the reign of 
Satan. Our kings might kill us for their pleasure, and offer 
our carcases to the Evil Spirit ; our priests and our rulers 
delighted in shedding our blood. Now, behold, our per- 
sons are safe, our property is our own, and we have no 
need to fly to the mountains to hide ourselves, as we used 
to do, when a sacrifice was wanted for Oro, and durst not 
come back to our homes till we heard that a victim had 
been slain and carried to the marae.' 

xcvii. 1. — The Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice ; 
let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 

During a certain juncture at the beginning of the pre- 
sent century, when a French invasion was generally 
dreaded, Mrs Scott, a pious gentlewoman, happened to 
be in company with a number of ladies, who began, with 
a sorrowful countenance, to express themselves in a tone 
of most distressing apprehension regarding the conse- 
quences of that deprecated event ; but after listening for 
a little to their melancholy language, she proceeded to 
reprove their immoderate solicitude and timidity, saying, 



276 



PSALM C. 



' Come, my ladies, lay aside your unbelieving fears, re- 
member that the Lord reigns. 9 

xcviii. 8, 9. — Let the floods clap their hands : let the 
hills be joyful together before the Lord; for he cometh 
to judge the earth : with righteousness shall he judge 
the world, and the people with equity. 

' There is an account come,' says Ebenezer Erskine in 
his diary, 4 of the arrival of King George, and a great re- 
joicing for it in Edinburgh. I see the fires and illumi- 
nations of that city reflected on the skies. O how will 
the heavens reflect and shine with illuminations, when the 
King of kings, and Lord of lords, shall erect His tribunal 
in the clouds, and come in His own glory, and His 
Fathers glory, and in the glory of the holy angels ! O 
what a heartsome day will that be ! When Christ, who 
is our life, shall appear, then shall we appear with Him in 
glory. We shall then lift up our heads with joy, because 
it shall be a time of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord.' 

xcix. 3.-— Let them praise thy great and terrible 
name ; for it is holy. 

A certain American planter had a favourite domestic 
negro, who always stood opposite to him when waiting at 
the table. His master being a profane character, often 
took the name of God in vain, when the negro immedi- 
ately made a low and solemn bow. On being asked why 
he did so, he replied, that he never heard that great name 
mentioned, but it filled his whole soul with reverence and 
awe. Thus, without offence, he cured his master of a 
criminal and pernicious custom. 

c. 4. — Enter into his gates with thanksgiving; and 
into his courts with praise : be thankful unto him, and 
bless his name. 

' There is a tradition,' says Dr Eranklin, ' that in the 
planting of New England, the first settlers met with many 
difficulties and hardships, as is generally the case when a 
civilized people attempt establishing themselves in a wil- 
derness country. Being men of piety, they sought relief 
from Heaven by laying their wants and distresses before 
the Lord on frequent set days of fasting and prayer. Con- 



PSALJI CII. 



277 



stant meditation and discourse on their difficulties, kept 
their minds gloomy and discontented ; and, like the child- 
ren of Israel, there were many disposed to return to 
Egypt, which persecution had induced them to abandon. 
At length, when it was proposed in one of their assem- 
blies to proclaim a fast, a farmer of plain sense rose and 
remarked, that the inconveniences they suffered, and con- 
cerning which they had so often wearied Heaven with 
their complaints, were not so great as might have been 
expected,' and were diminishing every day as the colony 
strengthened : that the earth began to reward their toil, 
and to furnish liberally for their subsistence : that the 
seas and rivers were full of fish, the air sweet, the cli- 
mate healthy ; and, above all, that they were in the full 
enjoyment of their civil and religions liberty; he there- 
fore thought, that reflecting and conversing on these sub- 
jects would be more comfortable, as tending more to 
make them contented with their situation ; and that it 
would be more becoming the gratitude they owed the 
Divine Being, if, instead of a Fast, they should appoint a 
Thanksgiving. His advice was taken, and from that day 
to this, they have in every year, observed circumstances 
of public felicity sufficient to furnish cause for a Thanks- 
giving-day ; which is therefore constantly ordered, and 
religiously observed.' 

ci. 7. — He that worketh deceit shall not dwell with- 
in my house : he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my 
sight. 

Dr Chadderton, a Puritan minister, during a period of 
fifty-three years, never kept his servant from public wor- 
ship to cook victuals. He used to say, £ I desire as much 
to have my servants to know the Lord as myself.' If at 
any time he found a servant addicted to lying, or any other 
open vice, he would not suffer her to remain in his house, 
though she could do ever so much work. 

cii. 11. — My days are like a shadow that declineth ; 
and I am withered like grass. 

The following inscription, in the choir of St Saviour's 
church, Southwark, is on a tablet at the base of the monu- 
ment of Richard Humble, gentleman, who was an Alder- 
man of London, in the reign of James I. : — 



278 



PSALM CIY. 



4 Like to the damask rose you see, 
Or like the blossom on the tree, 
Or like the dainty flower of May. 
Or like the morning of the day. 
Or like the sun, or like the shade, 
Or like the gourd which Jonas had : — 
E'en so is man, whose thread is spun, 
Drawn out, and cut, and so is done ! 
The rose withers, the "blossom blasteth, 
The flower fades, the morning hasteth, 
The sun sets, the shadpw flies, 
The gourd consumes, the man he dies !* 

ciii. 5. — Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things. 

Mr Newton once speaking in reference to the preceding 
passage, said, 'Bring a man to see the best covered table 
in the world, looking at it might gratify his eyes, but 
would never satisfy his mouth. We must taste before 
we can see that God is good.' 

civ. 20, 21. — Thou makest darkness, and it is night, 
wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. 
The young lions roar after their prey. 

Sir John Gayer, a wealthy citizen of London, and a 
merchant of the first eminence, in the reigns of King 
James and Charles I., was at one time travelling with a 
caravan of merchants across the deserts of Arabia, when, 
by some strange mistake, he separated from his com- 
panions, and night overtook him before he became sensible 
of his danger. He in vain endeavoured to gain the cara- 
van ; and he was brought into all the horrors of darkness, 
in the midst of a dreary desert. No place of refuge was 
near, and he seemed the destined prey of the savage ani- 
mals which he heard roaring for food a short distance 
from him. In this awful situation, he resigned himself, 
like a true Christian, to the disposal of his God. Falling 
on his knees, he prayed fervently, and promised that if 
Heaven would rescue him from impending danger, the 
whole produce of his merchandise should be given as an 
offering in benefaction to his native country. At this 
moment a lion of tremendous size was approaching him. 
Death appeared inevitable ; but whether it was owing to 
the prayers of the pious knight, or to the generous nature 
of the noble animal, the fact was, that the lion, after 
prowling round him, bristling his shaggy hair, and eyeing 
him, apparently with fierce intent, suddenly stopped short, 



psalm cvn f 



279 



turned round, and walked quietly away, without offering 
him the slightest injury. The knight continued in the 
same suppliant posture till the morning dawned, when 
he pursued his journey, and happily came up with his 
friends, who had considered him as lost. The remainder 
of his voyage was prosperous ; he disposed of his freight 
to advantage, and reached England with increased wealth. 
In fulfilment of his engagement, he distributed to different 
charities considerable sums, but particularly to the poor 
of his own parish ; and, among other donations, he be- 
queathed two hundred pounds to the church of St Catha- 
rine Cree, to be laid out in the purchase of an estate, the 
profits of which were also to be applied to the poor, on 
condition that a sermon should be occasionally preached 
in that church, to commemorate his deliverance from the 
jaws of the lion. 

cv. 15. — Touch not mine anointed, and do my pro- 
phets no harm. 

The Rev. James Garie, with some other ministers, at- 
tempted, in 1790, amidst much opposition, to disseminate 
the Gospel in some of the dark parts of Ireland. One 
evening a man entered his room with a pistol, threaten- 
ing to take away his life. Mr Garie, holding up a small 
Bible, advanced towards him, and with a smiling counte- 
nance, looked him full in the face. Struck with his mild 
and innocent appearance, the man immediately retired 
from him, and his life was preserved. 

cvi. 15. — He gave them their request ; but sent 
leanness into their soul. 

A lady in the south of England, had a little boy who 
was very ill. On being told there was no hope of his re- 
covery, she became almost frantic, and opened her mouth, 
not in prayer to God for her own submission and her 
child's salvation, but in positive declaration that her child 
should not be taken from her, 'O God, Thou shalt not 
take my child — he shall not die,' was her prayer. The 
prayer was answered. The child did not die. He re- 
covered ; and his mother lived to see him taken to the 
gallows. 

cvii. 24. — These see the works of the Lord, and his 
wonders in the deep. 



280 



PSALM CIX. 



In the early part of the career of the Rev. John Wesley, 
influenced by a desire to do good, he undertook a voyage 
to Georgia. During a storm on the voyage, he was very 
much alarmed by the fear of death, and being a severe 
judge of himself, he concluded that he was unfit to die. 
He observed the lively faith of the Moravians, which, in 
the midst of danger, kept their minds in a state of tran- 
quillity and ease, to which he and the English on board 
were strangers. While they were singing at the com- 
mencement of their service, the sea broke over them, split 
the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in 
between the decks, as if the great deep had already swal- 
lowed them up. The English screamed terribly — the 
Moravians calmly sung on. Mr Wesley asked one of them 
afterwards, if he were not afraid. He answered, ' 1 thank 
God, no.' 4 But, were not your women and children 
afraid ?' He replied, mildly, ' No ; our women and child- 
ren are not afraid to die.' These things struck him 
forcibly, and strengthened his desire to know more of 
these excellent people. 

cviii. 4. — Thy mercy is great above the heavens. 

To a person under distress of mind, Mr Hervey says 
in a letter, 'Don't select such terrifying texts for your 
meditations, as in your letter you tell me you have done. 
It is as improper as if you should eat the coldest melon, or 
use the most slight covering, when shivering with an ague. 
Choose, the morning after joxl receive this letter (by way 
of antidote to the texts of your own selecting), the fol- 
lowing for your meditation : — " His mercy is great above 
the heavens." " His mercy endureth for ever." Put to- 
gether these two expressions, and see whether they don't 
amount to more than either your imprudencies or your 
distress. You have, to be sure, done amiss in the matter 

of . God forbid I should justify your conduct ! but 

let it not be said, let it not be surmised, it is beyond the 
reach of God's immeasurable goodness to pardon, or of 
Christ's immense merits to expiate the sin. None can 
tell, none can think, what mercy there is with the Lord. 
There is a wide difference between humiliation and 
despair ; draw near to Christ with a humble boldness.' 

cix. 4. — For my love they are my adversaries; but 
I give myself unto prayer. 



PSALM CXI. 



281 



Mr Burkitt, in his diary, relates his having met at one 
time with a very unjust and unexpected accusation from 
a person whom he had faithfully served, and sought to 
oblige. ' The consciousness of my own innocence,' he 
adds, c supported me, and I hope God will do me good by 
all. Some persons had never had a particular share in 
my prayers but for the injuries they have done me.' 

ex. 3. — Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy 
power. 

A deist, whose infidelity was shaken by the conversa- 
tion of his little daughter, who attended a Sabbath school, 
was induced to attend the preaching of the Gospel. The 
Holy Spirit accompanied it with His blessing. On the 
following November 5th, he convened his family together, 
and having made a bonfire of his infidel books, they all 
joined in singing that hymn, ' Come let us join our cheer- 
ful songs,' etc. 

cxi. 5. — He hath given meat unto them that fear him ; 
he will ever be mindful of his covenant. 

Mr M , a pious and zealous curate in Yorkshire, 

was in circumstances of pecuniary distress ; but at the 
same time he had frequent experience of the Lord's good- 
ness to his family in their straits. Once, when in great 
want of the necessaries of life, a five-guinea note was sent 
them by the carrier, — but from whom, they never could 
learn. On another occasion, their stock, both of coals 
and money, was exhausted. Having no prospect of a 
supply, they retired to rest that evening, 4 cast down, but 
not in despair.' In the morning, after praying with his 

wife, Mr M took a walk out on the highway, still 

continuing the devout exercise of prayer, when he was 
met by the post. Without being able to assign a reason 
why, he felt an impression which led him to ask, ' Have 
"you a letter for me ?' To which the person replied in the 
affirmative. Upon receiving the letter, he immediately 
opened it, and found it to be an anonymous epistle, with 
five pounds enclosed. Soon after this, a friend brought 
a cow for their service ; and towards evening, another 
friend sent them a cart-load of coals. Thus, without 
making known their case to any one, except the Lord God 
of Elijah, they received in one day a seasonable supply of 
money, milk, and coals. 



262 



PSALM CXIV. 



cxii. 9. — He bath dispersed, lie bath given to the 
poor; bis righteousness enduretb for ever; his born 
shall be exalted with honour. 

Tiberius II. was so liberal to the poor, that his wife 
blamed him for it. Speaking to him once of his -casting 
his treasure by this means, he told her, i he should never 
want money so long as, in obedience to Christ's command, 
he supplied the necessities of the poor.' Shortly after 
this, he found a great treasure under a marble table which 
had been taken up ; and news was also brought him of 
the death of a very rich man, who had left his whole 
estate to him. 

cxiii. 7. 8. — He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, 
and lifteth the needy out of the dung-hill ; that he may 
set him with princes, even with the princes of his 
people. 

Mr Brown of Haddington, during his last illness, hav- 
ing one day come in from his ride, was scarcely set down, 
when he began expressing his admiration of the love of 
God: — 1 0, the sovereignty of grace ! How strange that 
I, a poor cottager's son, should have a chaise to ride in ; 
and what is far more wonderful. I think God hath often 
given me rides in the chariot of the new covenant : in the 
former case, He hath raised me from the dunghill, and set 
me with great men ; but in the latter, He bath exalted the 
man, sinful as a devil, and made him to sit with the Prince 
of the kings of the earth. O, astonishing ! astonishing ! 
astonishing I' 

cxiv. 3. — Jordan was driven back. 

Chateaubriand, describing the emotions he felt on his 
approach to this celebrated river, says, ' I had surveyed 
the great rivers of America with that pleasure which soli- 
tude and nature impart ; I had visited the Tiber with en- 
thusiasm, and sought with the same interest the Eurotas 
and the Cephisus ; but I cannot express what I felt at 
the sight of the Jordan. ZSTot only did this river remind 
me of a renowned antiquity, and one of the most cele- 
brated names that the most exquisite poetry ever con- 
fided to the memory of man ; but its shores likewise pre- 
sented to my view the theatre of the miracles of my 
religion. Judea is the only country in the world that 



PSALM CXTI. 



283 



revives in the traveller the memory of human affairs and 
of celestial things, and which, by this combination, pro- 
duces in the soul a feeling and ideas which no other 
religion is capable of exciting.' 

cxv. 5. — They have mouths, but they speak not ; 
eyes have they, but they see not, etc. 

Mr Thomas, missionary in India, was one day travelling 
alone through the country, when he saw a great many 
people waiting near a temple of their false gods. He 
went up to them, and, as soon as the doors were opened, 
he walked into the temple. Seeing an idol raised above 
the people, he walked boldly up to it, held up his hand, 
and asked for silence. He then put his fingers on its eyes, 
and said, 1 It has eyes, but it cannot see ! It has ears, 
but it cannot hear ! It has a nose, but it cannot smell ! 
It has hands, but it cannot handle ! It has a mouth, but 
it cannot speak ! Neither is there any breath in it !' In- 
stead of doing injury to him for affronting their god 
and themselves, they were all surprised; and an old 
Brahmin was so convinced of his folly by what Mi- 
Thomas said, that he also cried out, ' It has feet, but it 
cannot run away !' The people raised a shout, and being 
ashamed of their stupidity, they left the temple, and went 
to their homes. 

cxvi. 16. — 0 Lord, truly I am thy servant ; I am 
thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid. 

' Besides the common mercy of being born in a Christian 
land,' says General Burn, ' God was pleased to bestow 
upon me another, which is not common to all His child- 
ren ; that of being born of godly parents, and surrounded 
on all sides by truly pious relations. Infant reason no 
sooner dawned, than they began to use every possible 
means to give that reason a right bias towards its proper 
object ; and they daily approached a throne of grace with 
fervent prayer for their helpless child, before he knew how 
to pray for himself. When a rude unthinking boy at 
school, I have sometimes stood at my pious grandmother's 
closet door, and how many heart-affecting groans and 
ardent supplications have I heard poured forth for me, 
for which I then never imagined there was the smallest 
occasion ! Yet, if the prayers of the righteous avail much 
(and surely I can confirm the truth of this Scripture), 



284 



PSALM CXIX. 



how greatly I am indebted to God, who blessed me with 
such parents.' 

cxvii. 2. — His merciful kindness is great toward us. 

One day a female friend called on the late Kev. William 
Evans, a pious minister in England, and asked how he 
felt himself. 'I am weakness itself,' he replied; 'but I 
am on the Rock, I do not experience those transports 
which some have expressed in the view of death ; but my 
dependence is on the mercy of God in Christ. Here my 
religion began, and here it must end.' 

cxviii. 8. — It is better to trust in the Lord than to 
put confidence in man. 

4 Christians might avoid much trouble and inconveni- 
ence,' says Dr Payson, ' if they would only believe what 
they profess — that God is able to make them happy with- 
out anything else. They imagine, if such a dear friend 
were to die, or such and such blessings to be removed, 
they should be miserable ; whereas God can make them 
a thousand times happier without them. To mention my 
own case, — God has been depriving me of one blessing 
after another; but as every one was removed, He has 
come in, and filled up its place ; and now when I am a 
cripple, and not able to move, I am happier than ever I 
was in my life before, or ever expected to be ; and if I 
had believed this twenty years ago, I might have been 
spared much anxiety.' 

cxix. 10. — With my whole heart have I sought thee. 

One Sabbath evening, the late Dr Belfrage of Falkirk, 
when urging on his servants the duty and value of prayer, 
told them he had been lately visiting an old woman upon 
her death-bed, who had given him the following account 
of her own conversion : — She had lived, when a child of 
nine years of age, with two brothers, whose business took 
them from home early in the morning ; she used to 
go for water to them in the morning, at five or six 
o'clock, to a spring at some distance. One morning, when 
passing a village which lay in her way, and in which lived 
an aged and infirm woman, her attention was arrested by 
hearing her engaged in deep and earnest prayer. She 
stood and listened eagerly till the prayer was ended, when 
new and strange feelings deeply impressed her mind. 



FSALM CXIX. 



285 



She had, as she thought, prayed often, hut she was now 
convinced, that if this which she had heard from the soli- 
tary worshipper in the cottage was prayer, she had been 
hitherto in a delusion, and had, in reality, never prayed 
at all. She proceeded to the well under the deep im- 
pression, that unless she could pray like this old woman, 
she could neither be happy nor safe. She laid down her 
pitcher, and immediately engaged in the exercise, which 
she performed in a fervour of spirit entirely new to her, 
and which, from that moment, had never subsided. Every 
day found her more and more thoughtful, and she died 
in the good hope, through grace, of eternal life. 

cxix. 21. — Thou hast rebuked the proud that are 
cursed. 

Proud men never have friends ; not in prosperity, be- 
cause they know nobody; not in adversity, because then 
nobody knows them. 

cxix. 28. — My soul melteth for heaviness : strengthen 
thou me according unto thy word. 

In a discourse on prayer, the celebrated Dr Wither- 
spoon remarks, ' If the time and other circumstances call 
for the duty, our own disposition of heart is, of all 
others, the most foolish and criminal excuse. How much 
better would it be to wrestle as Jacob in the text, and 
insist upon the blessing ; which cannot be more sensibly 
illustrated, with respect to this particular branch, than 
by mentioning to you a resolution which an eminent 
Christian entered into for his own practice; that he 
would not be baffled by a treacherous spirit ; for he 
would never give over the work of praise, till his affec- 
tions were stirred, and he were brought to a sense of gra- 
titude for Divine goodness ; and he would never give 
over enumerating and confessing his sins till his heart 
was melted in contrition and penitential sorrow.' 

cxix. 33. — Teach me, 0 Lord, the way of thy sta- 
tutes. 

One of the Indians among whom Mr Elliot laboured 
having asked, How may we come to know Jesus Christ ? 
was answered, ' that if they were able to read our Bible, 
the book of God, therein they would see most clearly who 
Jesus Chrst was. But since they could not yet read that 



286 



PSALM CXTX. 



book, we wished tliem to meditate on what they had now 
heard out of God's book ; and to do this much and often, 
both when they lay down on their mats in their wigwams, 
and when they rose up and went alone in the fields and 
woods ; so God would teach them ; and especially if they 
used a third help, which was prayer to God. We told 
them, that although they could not make long prayers, 
as we English could, yet if they did but sigh and groan, 
and say thus, — " Lord make me to know Jesus Christ, for 
I know Him not," — and if they did say so again and again 
with their hearts, that God would teach them to know 
Jesus Christ ; because He is a God that will be found of 
them that seek Him with all their hearts ; and hears the 
prayers of all men, Indians as well as English ; and that 
Englishmen themselves did by this means come to the 
knowledge of Jesus Christ.' 

cxix. 52. — I remembered thy judgments of old, 0 
Lord ; and have comforted myself. 

It was a usual saying of Pascal, that the sciences pro- 
duced no consolation in the times of affliction ; but the 
knowledge of Christianity was a comfort both in adversity, 
and in defect of all other knowledge. 

cxix. 71. — It is good for me that I have been af- 
flicted. 

A young man, who had been long confined with a dis- 
eased limb, and was near his dissolution, was attended by 
a friend, who requested that the wound might be un- 
covered. When this was done, ' There,' said the 3 r oung 
man, - there it is, and a precious treasure it has been to 
me ; it saved me from the folly and vanity of youth ; it 
made me cleave to God as my only portion, and to eter- 
nal glory as my only hope ; and I think it has now 
brought me very near to my Father's house.' 

cxix. 92. — Unless thy law had been my delights, I 
should then have perished in mine affliction. 

A person who subscribed to the Bible Society of Nis- 
mes, in France, gave the following account of himself to 
one of the office-bearers of the Society : — 1 Under the late 
emperor (Bonaparte) I was attached to the army ; and 
being taken prisoner and carried to England, I was con- 
fined in one of the prison-ships. There, huddled together 



PSALM CXIX. 



287 



one above the other, and deprived of everything that 
could tend to soften the miseries of life, I abandoned my- 
self to dark despair, and resolved to make away with my- 
self. In this state of mind, an English clergyman visited 
us, and addressed us to the following effect : " My heart 
bleeds for your losses and privations, nor is it in my 
power to remedy them ; but I can offer consolation for 
your immortal souls ; and this consolation is contained in 
the Word of God. Read this book, my friends ; for I am 
willing to present every one with a copy of the Bible, 
who is desirous to possess it." The tone of kindness 
with which he spoke, and the candour of this pious man, 
made such an impression upon me, that I burst into tears. 
I gratefully accepted a Bible ; and in it I found abundant 
consolation, amidst all my miseries and distresses. From 
that moment the Bible has become a book precious to 
my soul ; out of it I have gathered motives for resignation 
and courage to bear up in adversity ; and I feel happy in 
the idea that it may prove to others what it has been to 
me.' 

cxix. 136. — Rivers of water run down mine eyes, be- 
cause they keep not thy law. 

A deaf and dumb boy, thirteen years of age, educated 
in the Institution at Edinburgh, after an absence of four 
years, went home to see his mother. When he entered 
her house, in company with his benefactor, she was sitting 
in a state of intoxication, which greatly affected him. He 
took his pencil, and thus attempted to show her the evil 
and danger of such conduct, and gave her much good ad- 
vice. After retiring with his friend, at whose house he 
went to lodge, his countenance became very sorrowful, 
and the tears trickled down his cheeks. His friend asked 
him the occasion of all this, when he wrote, that he was 
thinking, if he got to heaven, how sorry he should be not 
to find his mother there. 

cxix. 147. — I prevented the da^yning of the morning 
and cried. 

It is said of King Alfred, that to guard himself from 
sin, he arose alone at the first dawn of day, and privately 
visited churches and shrines for the sake of prayer. 
There, kneeling before God, he besought Him to streng- 
then his good intentions, and even implored the discipline 



288 



PSAKM CXXI. 



of some affliction which he could support, and which 
would not. like blindness or leprosy, make him useless or 
contemptible in society, as an assistant to his virtue. 
When a distemper attacked him severely, he laboured to 
make it subservient to moral utility. 4 In this conduct,' 
adds Dr Belfrage, 'we see piety tinged with the supersti- 
tion of the age in which he lived, but still we behold in it 
a zeal for holiness which we ought to imitate, and to 
cherish as carefully by our milder rites. 

cxx. 7. — I am for peace. 

The late John Dickinson, Esq., of Birmingham; was 
often called by way of distinction, 'The Peace-maker;' 
and such was his anxiety to keep the bonds of peace from 
being broken — such was his solicitude to heal the breach 
when made, that he would stoop to any act but that of 
meanness — make any sacrifice but that of principle — and 
endure any mode of treatment, not excepting even insult 
and reproach. From the high estimate in which his cha- 
racter was held, he was often called upon to act as umpire 
in cases of arbitration, and it was but rarely, if ever, that 
the equity of his decisions were impeached. On one oc- 
casion, two men were disputing in a public-house about 
the result of an arbitration, when a third said, ' Had 
John Dickinson anything to do with it ? ' ' Yes,' was 
the reply. 1 Then all was right, I am sure ; ' and in this 
opinion the whole party concurred, and the disputation 
ceased. 

cxxi. 5. — The Lord is thy keeper. 

In the year 1752, Dr Gill had a memorable escape 
from death in his own study. One of his friends had 
mentioned to him a remark of Dr Halley, the celebrated 
astronomer, that close study preserves a man's life, by 
keeping him out of harm's way ; but one day after he had 
just left his room to go to preach, a stalk of chimneys was 
blown down, forced its way through the roof of the house, 
and broke his writing table, in the very spot where a few 
minutes before he had been sitting. The doctor very 
properly remarked afterwards to his friend, ' A man may 
come to danger and harm in the closet as well as in the 
highway, if he be not protected by the special care of 
Divine Providence.' 



PSALM CXXV. 



289 



cxxii. 1. — I was glad when they said unto me, Let 
us go into the house of the Lord. 

Mr Joel Barlow of Hartford, in New England (author 
of the Advice to Privileged Orders), meeting the Eev. 
Mr Strong, of the same place, one day, asked him why 
he did not publish the set of sermons he had so long pro- 
mised the world? 4 There is one subject,' replied* Mr 
Strong, 4 1 cannot get master of." ' What is that ?' said 
Mr Barlow. ' To reconcile the profession of the Chris- 
tian religion,' said Mr S., 1 with non-attendance on public 
worship.' 

cxxiii. 4. — The contempt of the proud. 

Demetrius, one of Alexander's successors, was so proud 
and disdainful, as not to allow those who transacted busi- 
ness with him liberty of speech ; or else he treated them 
with so much rudeness, as obliged them to quit his pre- 
sence in disgust. He suffered the Athenian ambassadors 
to wait two whole years before he gave them audience ; 
and by the haughtiness of his behaviour, at last provoked 
his subjects to revolt from his authority, and expel him 
from his throne. 

cxxiv. 8. — Our help is in the name of the Lord, who 
made heaven and earth. 

1 I well remember,' says an eminent minister in North 
Wales, 6 that when the Spirit of God first convinced me 
of my sin, guilt, and danger, and of the many difficulties 
and enemies I must encounter, if ever I intended setting 
out for heaven, I was often to the last degree frightened ; 
the prospect of those many strong temptations and vain 
allurements to which my youthful years would unavoid- 
ably expose me, greatly discouraged me. And I often 
used to tell an aged soldier of Christ, the first and only 
Christian friend I had any acquaintance with for several 
years, that I wished / had borne the burden and heat of 
the day like him. His usual reply was — " That so long as 
I feared, and was humbly dependant upon, God, I should 
never fall, but certainly prevail." I have found it so. O, 
blessed be the Lord, that I can now raise up my Ebenezer, 
and say, " Hitherto hath the Lord upheld me." ' 

cxxv. 2 — As the mountains are round about Jeru- 

T 



290 



PSALM CXXV1I. 



salem, so the Lord is round about his people from hence- 
forth, even for ever. 

A chief in Eimeo (a South Sea island), having em- 
braced the Gospel, became an object of hatred and abhor- 
rence to the idolaters. A party of these conspired to 
kiil him, when he and a few other pious persons were as- 
sembled together in the evening for prayer. The ruffians 
came secretly upon them, armed with muskets, and, level- 
ling their pieces, were about to destroy the whole group 
at a volley. Their deliverance was singularly providen- 
tial : the marked victims within knew nothing of the 
lurking assassins without ; yet were the latter restrained 
from executing their diabolical purpose by an influence, 
which, as they afterwards declared, they could not under- 
stand. Seized with sudden horror at the deed on which 
they had been so desperately bent, they threw down the 
murderous engines, and, rushing into the room, confessed 
their guilt. The Christians received them with so much 
kindness, and so freely forgave them — thus heaping coals 
of fire upon their head — that they were utterly overcome, 
and went away, promising never to molest them again ; 
and they kept their word. 

cxxvi. 3. — The Lord hath done great things for us, 
whereof we are glad. 

When the deputation from the London Missionary So- 
ciety, in 1821, visited Eimeo, five of the deacons of the 
church there, came to express their joy at their arrival. 
The deputation most heartily returned their congratula- 
tions, by declaring their wonder and delight at beholding 
what great things the Lord had done for them. One of 
these, who was spokesman for his brethren, said, among 
other strong observations, 1 We are brands plucked out of 
the burning. Satan was destroying, and casting us, one 
after another, into the flames of hell ; but Jehovah came 
and snatched us out of his hands, and threw water upon 
the fire that was consuming us — so we were saved V 

cxxvii. l. — Except the Lord build the house, they 
labour in vain that build it. 

It is the custom, in the valleys of the canton of Berne, 
when the father of a family builds a house, and the walls 
are raised to their full height, to request the minister of 



PSALM CXXX. 



291 



the parish to pray to God inside. The workmen meet 
together, and unite in thanking the Lord for His care 
hitherto, and entreat a continuance of it through the more 
dangerous part that remains. A blessing terminates this 
pious ceremony, the pastor retires, the workmen return 
to their labours, and the noise of hammers begins to be 
heard again. 

cxxviii. 6. — Thou shalt see thy children's children. 

The Rev. Henry Erskine's father's family was uncom- 
monly large, consisting of thirty-three children ; and so 
great was the number of grandchildren, with whom this 
venerable patriarch, for some time prior to his death, was 
surrounded, that, according to tradition, he could not re- 
collect them by face, and when he happened to see them, 
frequently proposed the friendly question, ' Who are you, 
my little man ?' 

cxxix. 5. — Let them all be confounded that hate 
Zion. 

The disease of which Herod the Great died, and the 
misery which he suffered under it, plainly showed, that 
the hand of God was then in a signal manner upon him ; 
for not long after the murders at Bethlehem, his distemper, 
as Josephus informs us, daily increased in an unheard-of 
manner. He had a lingering and wasting fever, and 
grievous ulcers in his entrails and bowels ; a violent colic, 
and insatiable appetite ; a venemous swelling in his feet ; 
convulsions in his nerves ; a perpetual asthma, and offen- 
sive breath ; rottenness in his joints and other members ; 
accompanied with prodigious itchings, crawling worms, 
and intolerable smell ; so that he was a perfect hospital 
of incurable distempers. 

cxxx. 4. — There is forgivenness with thee, that thou 
may est be feared. 

One Mr Davies, a young man, being under religious im- 
pressions, opened his mind to Dr Owen. In the course 
of conversation, Dr Owen said, 'Young man, pray, in 
what manner do you think to go to God ?' Mr Davies 
replied, 'Through the Mediator, Sir.' 4 That is easily 
said,' observed Dr Owen ; 'but I assure you, it is another 
thing to go to God through the Mediator, than many who 
make use of the expression are aware of. I myself 



292 



PSALM CXXXIII. 



preached some years, while I had but very little, if any, 
acquaintance with access to God through Christ, until the 
Lord was pleased to visit me with a sore affliction, by 
which I was brought to the brink of the grave, and under 
which my mind was filled with horror; but God was 
graciously pleased to relieve my soul by a powerful appli- 
cation of Ps. cxxx. 4, " But there is forgiveness with Thee, 
that Thou mayest be feared." From this text I received 
special light, peace, and comfort, in drawing near to 
God through the Mediator ; and on this text 1 preached 
immediately after my recovery/ — Perhaps to this exercise 
of mind we owe his excellent exposition of this Psalm. 

cxxxi. 1. — Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine 
eyes lofty. 

If good men cannot always use this language of David, 
it is their prevailing desire that they should be able to do 
so, and if at any time they have been exalted above 
measure, like Hezekiah, they will humble themselves for 
the pride of their hearts. * I was this day tempted with 
pride,' says the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine in his diary, * and 
a vain elation of mind, on the composure of a sermon 
which pleased me, and which I was composing for Edin- 
burgh sacrament, on the 20th of this month (March 8, 
1715). It is a wonder that the Lord — He who beholds 
the proud afar off — does not blast me in some visible way, 
on this account. I prayed to the Lord to deliver me 
from pride of gifts. O it is a hateful sin. O Lord, keep 
me from it, and help me to be humble, to be like Christ ; 
and to preach Christ, and not to preach myself.' 

cxxxii. 9. — Let thy priests be clothed with righteous- 
ness, and let thy saints shout for joy. 

' I hope,' saysDr Doddridge, 4 my younger brethren in 
the ministry will pardon me, if I entreat their particular 
attention to this admonition — Not to give the main part 
of their time to the curiosities of learning, and only a few 
fragments of it to their great work, the cure of souls ; lest 
they see cause in their last moments to adopt the words 
of dying Grotius, perhaps with much more propriety than 
he could use them — "I have lost a life in busy trifling." ' 

cxxxiii. 1. — Behold, how good and how pleasant it is 
for brethren to dwell together in unity ! 



PSALM CXXXV, 



293 



A little boy seeing two nestling birds pecking at each 
other, inquired of his elder brother what they were doing, 
1 They are quarrelling.' was the answer. • No, 1 replied 
the child, 'that cannot be. they are brothers' 

cxxxiv. 3. — The Lord made heaven and earth. 

Alphonsus X.. King of Leon and Castile, was one of 
the most learned men of his age. He acquired a profound 
knowledge of astronomy, philosophy, and history, and 
composed books on the motions of the heavens, and the 
history of Spain, that are highly commended. But no 
one can be mentioned, as a more striking proof that the 
wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. So rain, 
presumptuous, and impious, was this philosophical king, 
that one of his sayings was, — ; If I had been of God's 
Privy Council when He made the world. I would haTe 
advised Him better.' 

cxxxv, 15. — The idols of the heathen are silver and 
gold, the work of men's hands. 

A native gentleman of India, in relating his history to 
one of the missionaries, says — 1 My father was officiating 
priest of a heathen temple, and was considered, in those 
days, a superior English scholar, and by teaching the 
English language to wealthy natives, realized a very large 
fortune. At a very early period, when a mere boy, I 
was employed by my father to light the lamps in the 
pagoda, and attend to the various thir.gs connected with 
the idols. I hardly remember the time when my mind 
was not exercised on the folly of idolatry. These things I 
thought were made by the hand of man, can move only 
by man, and whether treated well or ill. are unconscious 
of either. Why all this cleaning, anointing, illuminating ? 
etc. One evening, these considerations so powerfully 
wrought on my youthful mind, that instead of placing the 
idols according to custom. I threw them from their pedes- 
tals, and left them with their faces in the dust. My 
father, on witnessing what I had done, chastised me so 
severely, as to leave me almost dead. I reasoned with 
him, that if they could not get up out of the dust, they 
were not able to do what I could ; and that instead of 
being worshipped as gods, they deserved to lie in the dust, 
where I had thrown them. He v%as implacable, and 
vowed to disinherit me, and as the first step to it, sent me 



294 



PSALM cxxxni. 



away from his house. He relented on his death-bed, and 
left me all his wealth.' 

cxxxvi. 1. — 0 give thanks unto the Lord; for he is 
good ; for his mercy endureth for ever. 

'This day, August 8, 1722,' writes Ebenezer Erskine 
in his diary. *' I could not think there was the least spark 
of grace or good in me, or about me ; and I was thinking 
that I should never see the Lord any more. But O the 
trophies and triumphs of free grace ; for this night in 
family prayer the Lord did begin to loose my bonds, and 
both heart and tongue were loosed together, to my sur- 
prise ; and it was ordered in Providence, that, in my ordi- 
nary in secret this night, I did sing Psalm cxxxvi., where 
twenty-six times it is repeated, u His grace and mercy 
never faileth ;" and 0, the repetition of this word at every 
other line was sweet. I began to hope, that I shall sing it 
as a new song through eternity, that " His grace never 
faileth, His mercy endureth for ever." And I think that 
none in heaven will have more occasion to raise their 
hallelujahs of praise to free grace than I have.' 

cxxxvii. 5, 6. — If I forget thee. 0 Jerusalem, let my 
right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember 
thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ; if 
I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. 

When Bishop Beveridge was on his death-bed, he did 
not know any of his friends or connections. A minister, 
with whom he had been well acquainted, visited him. 
When conducted into his room, he said, 'Bishop Beve- 
ridge do you know me ? ' ' Who are you ? ' said the 
bishop. Being told who the minister was, he said that 
he did not know him. Another friend came, who had 
been equally well known, and accosted him in a similar 
manner, to whom he made a similar reply. His wife 
then came to his bed-side, and asked him if he knew her. 
\ Who are you ? ' said he. Being told she was his wife, 
he said he did not know her, ' Well.' said one, 'Bishop 
Beveridge, do you know the Lord Jesus Christ ? ' ' Jesus 
Christ ! ' said he reviving, as if the name had upon him 
the influence of a charm, ' O, yes ! I have known Him 
these forty years. Precious Saviour ! He is my only 
hope ! ' 



PSALM CXL. 



295 



cxxxviii. 7. — Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
thou wilt revive me. 

Mr Patrick Macwarth, who lived in the west of Scot- 
land, whose heart the Lord, in a remarkable way, opened, 
was, after his conversion, in such a frarr:^, so affected 
with the discoveries of the love of God. and of the bless- 
edness of the life to come, that for some months together 
he seldom slept, being so taken up in wondering at the 
kindness of his Redeemer. His life was distinguished for 
tenderness of walk, and near communion with God. One 
day. after the death of his son. who was suddenly taken 
away, he retired alone for several hours, and afterwards 
appeared so remarkably cheerful, that inquiry was made 
why he looked so cheerful in a time of such affliction. 
He replied, 6 He had got that in his retirement with the 
Lord which, to have it afterwards renewed, he would 
gladly lose a son every day.' 

cxxxix. 20. — Thine enemies take thy name in vain. 

Mr White, a substantial tradesman of London, had been 
imprisoned and fined for non-conformity. In the course 
of his examination, the Lord Chief Justice, not being 
pleased with an answer given, profanely swore by the 
holy name of God. This did not pass unnoticed by the 
good Puritan, who reproved his lordship in the following 
delicate and modest manner: — ' I would speak a word, 
which I am sure will offend, and yet I must speak it. I 
heard the name of God taken in Tain : if I had done it, 
it had been a greater offence than that which I stand 
here for.' 

cxl. 7. — Thou hast covered my head in the day of 
battle. 

' A short time since,' says one, ' I had an opportunity 
of seeing a young man who mingled in the sad scene at 
"Waterloo. It was the first time he had seen such a sight, 
and at the approach of so vast a number of men and 
horses, armed with the instruments of death, he was na- 
turally filled with consternation and fear. Calling to re- 
collection what his pious father had often told him, to 
seek the protection of God, who is a present help in the 
hour of danger, he retired to a private place, and implored 
the protection of the Almighty, A very wicked lieu- 



296 



PSALM CXLIII. 



tenant, who was in the regiment, the 7th , overheard 

him, and laughing, said, " There is no danger of you being 
killed to-day," and treated the duty of prayer in a very 
light manner. They both went to the field, where, in a 
short time, they were called to engage ; and the second 
volley from the enemy separated the lieutenant's head 
from his body.' How much better to have imitated the 
conduct of the young man, in committing himself to God's 
protection, who could either have preserved him unhurt, 
or prepared him by His grace for sudden death ! 

cxii. 5. — Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a 
kindness ; and let him reprove me, it shall be an ex- 
cellent oil, which shall not break my head. 

It is related in the 1 Life of Mrs Savage,' an excellent 
sister of the Rev. Matthew Henry, that when some re- 
spectable pious gentlemen were one Sabbath evening as- 
sembled together, they unhappily engaged in conversation 
unsuitable to the day. Betty Parsons, a good old woman, 
overhearing them, said, ' Sirs, you are making work for 
repentance.' This short and seasonable rebuke re- 
strained them, and turned their conversation into a 
better channel. 

cxlii. 5. — Thou art my portion in the land of the 
living. 

'This morning,' says Mr Fuller, 'I have read another 
of Edwards' sermons, on God the Christian's Portion, from 
Psalm lxxiii. 25. The latter part comes very close, and 
I feel myself at a loss what to judge as to God's being my 
chief good. He asks, whether we had rather live in this 
world rich and without God, or poor and with Him ? 
Perhaps I should not be so much at a loss to decide this 
question as another ; namely, had I rather be rich in this 
world and enjoy but little of God ; or poor and enjoy 
much of God ? I am confident the practice of great num- 
bers of professing Christians declares that they prefer the 
former ; and in some instances I feel guilty of the same 
thing.' 

cxliii. 9. — Deliver me, 0 Lord, from mine enemies : 
1 flee unto thee to hide me. 

Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, when in his 



PSALM CXLVI. 



297 



camp before Werben, had been alone, at one time, in the 
cabinet of his pavilion some hours together, and none of 
his attendants at these seasons durst interrupt him. At 
length, however, a favourite of his having some important 
matter to tell him, came softly to the door, and, looking 
in, beheld the king very devoutly on his knees at prayer. 
Fearing to molest him in that exercise, he was about to 
withdraw his head, when the king espied him, and bidding 
him come in, said, 'Thou wonderest to see me in this 
posture, since I have so many thousands of subjects to 
pray for me; but I tell thee, that no man has more need 
to pray for himself than he, who, being to render an ac- 
count of his actions to none but God, is, for that reason, 
more closely assaulted by the devil than all other men 
besides.' 

cxliv. 15. — Happy is that people that is in such a 
case ; yea, happy is that people whose God is the 
Lord. 

Coleridge the poet, in a letter written a fortnight before 
his death, addressed to his god-child, says : — ' On the eve 
of my departure, I declare to you, that health is a great 
blessing ; competence, obtained by honourable industry, 
a great blessing ; and a great blessing it is to have kind, 
faithful, and loving friends and relatives ; but that the 
greatest blessing, as it is the most ennobling of all privi- 
leges, is to be indeed a Christian. 1 

cxlv. 4. — One generation shall praise thy works to 
another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 

The mother of a Sabbath-school boy, about thirteen 
years of age, who had just lost her husband, overwhelmed 
with grief, exclaimed, ' O, how shall we miss your father 
at morning and evening prayer ! ' 'Yes mother,' said the 
boy, 4 we shall miss him ; but, for all that, we must not 
forget nor omit it, and if you will permit me, I will try* 
The excellent boy continued to officiate as leader in tne 
devotional exercises of the family. 

cxlvi. 7. — Which giveth food to the hungry. 

' Being detained,' says General Burn, ' on board the 
"Cormorant" at Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, for nearly a 
month, by strong westerly winds, I grew weary, and being 
anxious to know something about the "Koyal George," I 



298 



PSALM CXLTII. 



set off early one fine morning in the passage-boat for 
Portsmouth, purposely to inquire at the Admiral's office if 
she was soon expected in port. I fully intended to have 
returned to Cowes by the first boat, as I had just money 
enough left for that purpose ; but, to my great sorrow, 
about noon it began to blow a most violent gale, so that 
none of the boats would venture out for several days. 
Never was I placed in a more distressing situation. A 
perfect stranger in Portsmouth, with only a few pence in 
my pocket, I continued walking round and round the 
ramparts nearly the whole of the day, till I was so com- 
pletely worn out with fatigue and hunger, that the vio- 
lence of the wind almost drove me off my legs. Night 
was approaching ; finding it impossible to continue in 
this state much longer, and being well nigh distracted, I 
began to devise schemes where I should rest, and I should 
satisfy craving appetite. At last I fixed on the following 
expedient : — Having a pair of silver buckles on my shoes, 
the gift of an affectionate sister, I determined, though 
grieved at the deed, to take them to some Jew in the 
town, and exchange them for metal ones, in hope that 
the overplus would procure me a lodging, and purchase 
some food. Just as I was stepping off the rampart to 
put my plan into execution, I was accosted in a very 
friendly manner by an old acquaintance, who shook me 
by the hand, and asked me if I had dined. When I an- 
swered in the negative, he replied, "Then come along 
with me ; we are just in time." By this friend I was 
plentifully supplied for a few days, till the weather per- 
mitted me to return to my ship at Cowes. Thus the 
same compassionate God who feeds the ravens when they 
cry, was at no loss to find means to supply the wants of 
an ungrateful mortal, who did not then seek Him by 
prayer, nor acknowledge the benefit so seasonably be- 
stowed ; but having been since several times in Ports- 
mouth, I have walked round the ramparts with a glad 
heart, in the recollection of this mercy, praising the Lord 
under a feeling sense of His goodness.' 

cxlvii. 16. — He giveth snow like wool. 

Mr Clark, a pious minister, during a fall of snow, once 
walked from Prome to Bristol, a distance of twenty-four 
miles, to preach : after which he wrote the following lines 
to a friend : — 



PSALM CXLIX. 



299 



' On Friday last, as well you know, 
I went away in flakes of snow ■ 
I took the road the horses trod, 
And travell'd on to serve my God; 
And though I had not horse's strength, 
Yet safely reached the end at length. 
May I so safely reach the shore 
"Where storms and tempests are no more ! 
What though we meet with on the road 
Some little things that incommode, 
The end will more than overpay, 
For all the troubles of the way 1 ' 

cxlviii. 13. — Let them praise the name of the Lord ; 
for his name alone is excellent. 

1 1 remember,' says Mr Hervey, ' a very ingenious gen- 
tleman once showed me a composition in manuscript, 
which he intended for the press, and asked my opinion ; 
it was moral, it was delicate, it was highly finished : but 
I ventured to tell him there was one thing wanting, the 
name and merits of the divinely excellent Jesus, without 
which I feared the God of heaven would not accompany 
it with His grace, and without which I was sure the 
enemy of souls would laugh it to scorn. The gentleman 
seemed to be struck with surprise. "The name of Jesus!" 
he replied, " this single circumstance would frustrate all 
my expectations, would infallibly obstruct the sale, and 
make readers of refinement, throw it aside with disdain.'' 
I can never think,' adds Mr Hervey, ' the spread of our 
performances will be obstructed by pleasing Him who 
has all hearts and events in His sovereign hand.' He 
further adds, on publishing Theron and Aspasio — 'I am 
willing to put the matter to a trial, and myself to prac- 
tise the advice I gave. So far from secreting the amiable 
and majestic names of Jesus, and the adorable Trinity, 
I have printed them in grand and conspicuous capitals ; 
that all the world may see I look upon it as my highest 
honour to acknowledge, to venerate, to magnify my God 
and Saviour ; and if He has no power over the hearts of 
men, or nothing to do with the events of the world — if 
acceptance and success are none of His gifts, have no 
dependence on His smile, then I am content, perfectly 
content, to be without them.' 

cxlix. 5. — Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them 
sing aloud upon their beds. 



300 



PROVERBS I. 



A pious little boy who attended Sabbath school, a few- 
hours before his death, broke out into singing, and sung 
so loud, as to cause his mother to inquire what he was 
doing. ' I am singing my sister's favourite hymn, mother.' 
'But why, my dear, so loud?' — 'Why!' said he with 
peculiar emphasis, 'because I am so happy/ Just before 
his death, with uplifted hands, he exclaimed, 'Father! 
Father! take me, Father!' His parent went to lift him 
up, when, with a smile, he said, ' I did not call you, 
father ; but I was calling to my heavenly Father to take 
me ; I shall soon be with Him ' and then expired. 

cl. 6. — Let everything that hath breath praise the 
Lord. Praise ye the Lord. 

Mr John Janeway, on his death-bed, said, ' Come, help 
me with praises, all is too little: come, help me, 0 ye 
glorious and mighty angels, who are so well skilled in this 
heavenly work of praise. Praise Him, all ye creatures 
upon the earth ; let everything that hath being help me 
to praise Him. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ! Praise 
is now my work, and I shall be engaged in that sweet 
employment for ever.' 



PROVERBS. 

Chap. i. ver. 33. — Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall 
dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. 

An old man a priest in one of the South Sea Islands, 
who had lived in affluence under the idolatrous system, 
having been converted to Christianity, became compara- 
tively poor. Being asked, afterwards, whether he did not 
repent of having embraced a religion which had cost him 
so much, he calmly replied, ' O, no ! — while I was an 
idolater and a priest, I could never lie down to sleep in 
peace. I was always in fear of being robbed or murdered 
before morning. Often have I awoke in the night, 
trembling with horror ; and then I have sprung up and 
run among the bushes to hide myself, lest any one should 
come to kill me. Kow I go to rest without suspicion : I 
sleep soundly, and never run into the bush for safety, be- 
cause I know no danger. I might lie on my mat till it 
rotted beneath me, before any one would hurt me, by 



PROVERBS IV. 



301 



night or by day. I am happy ; and therefore I do not 
repent of what I have done.' 

ii. 4. — If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for 
her as for hid treasures. 

Very near Colombo is a school built in a beautiful and 
romantic situation, on the high bank of a noble river, 
across which a bridge of boats had recently been thrown 
for the convenience of the public. A number of fine 
little boys residing on the side of the river, opposite the 
school, were exceedingly anxious to enjoy the benefits of 
the instruction which it afforded, but were utterly unable, 
from their poverty, to pay the toll for passing this bridge 
four times every day, to and from school. In removing 
this serious difficulty, the little fellows showed at once 
their eagerness to obtain obstruction, and their native in- 
genuity. Wearing only a light cloth around them, ac- 
cording to the custom of the country, they were accustomed 
to assemble on the bank in the morning, and the larger 
boys binding up the books of the smaller ones, which 
they had home with them to learn their tasks, they tied 
them on the back of their heads, and swam over, the little 
ones following them. And this inconvenience they con- 
stantly encountered rather than be absent from school. 

iii. 14. — The merchandise of it is better than the 
merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine 
gold. 

Mr J ohn Elliot was once on a visit to a merchant, and 
finding him in his counting-house, where he saw books of 
business on the table, and all his books of devotion on 
the shelf, he said to him, i Sir, here is earth on the table, 
and heaven on the shelf. Pray, don't think so much of 
the table as altogether to forget the shelf.' 

iv. 23. — Keep thy heart with all diligence ; for out 
of it are the issues of life. 

The Rev. John Flavel being in London in 1672, his old 
bookseller, Mr Boulter, gave him the following relation : 
— 1 That some time before, a young gentleman came into 
his shop, to inquire for some play-books. He told him 
he had none, but showed him Mr Flavel's small treatise 
of " Keeping the Heart," entreated him to read it, and as- 



302 



PROVERBS VI. 



sured him it would do him more good than any play-book. 
The gentleman read the title, and glancing upon several 
pages here and there, broke out into profane expressions. 
Mr Boulter begged him to buy and read it, and told him 
he had no reason to censure it so severely. At last he 
bought it, but told him he would not read it. " What 
will you do with it then?" said the bookseller. "I will 
tear and burn it." " Then," said Mr B., " you shall not 
have it." Upon this the gentleman promised to read it, 
and Mr B. told him, if he disliked it upon reading it, he 
would return him his money. About a month after this, 
the gentleman came to the shop again, and with a serious 
countenance thus addressed Mr B. ' " Sir, I most heartily 
thank you for putting this book into my hands. I bless 
God that moved you to do it, — it hath saved my soul ; 
blessed be God that ever I came into your shop." He 
then bought a hundred of the books, and told him he 
would give them to the poor who could not buy them/ 

v. 12. — How have I hated instruction, and my heart 
despised reproof. 

1 During my residence in India,' says one, i I frequently 
visited a British soldier, who was under sentence of death, 
for having, when half intoxicated, wantonly shot a black 
man. In some of my visits to the jail, a number of other 
prisoners came and sat down with this man, to listen to a 
word of exhortation. In one instance I spoke to them 
particularly on the desirableness of studying the Bible. — 
" Have any of you a Bible ?" I inquired ; they answered, 
" No." "Have any of you ever possessed a Bible?" — a 
pause ensued. At last the murderer broke silence, and 
amidst sobs and tears confessed that he once had a Bible ; 
" But 0," said he, "I sold it for drink. It was the com- 
panion of my youth. I brought it with me from my native 
land, and have since sold it for drink ! 0, if I had listened 
to my Bible, I should not have been here" ' 

vi. 20. — Forsake not the law of thy mother. 

1 When I was a little child,' said a good man, * my 
mother used to bid me kneel beside her, and place her 
hand upon my head while she prayed. Before I was old 
enough to know her worth, she died, and I was left much 
to my own guidance. Like others, I was inclined to evil 



PROVERBS IX. 



303 



passions, but often felt myself checked, and, as it were, 
drawn back by the soft hand on my head. When I was a 
young man, I travelled in foreign lands, and was exposed 
to many temptations ; but when I would have yielded, 
that same hand was upon my head, and I was saved. I 
seemed to feel its pressure as in the days of my happy 
infancy, and sometimes there came with it a voice in my 
heart, — a voice that must be obeyed, — " O, do not this 
wickedness, my son, nor sin against thy God." ' 

vii. 27. — Her house is the way to hell, going down 
to the chambers of death. 

A young man, on reaching the door of a theatre, over- 
heard one of the door-keepers calling out, 1 This is the 
way to the pit. 9 Having had some instruction in the 
Word of God in early life, he interpreted what the man 
said, that the employments of the theatre led to hell. 
The thought haunted him, and made him cease frequenting 
such amusements ; he became attentive to the concerns 
of his soul, and was afterwards a preacher of the Gospel. 

viii. 15. — By me kings reign, and princes decree 
justice. 

The Bible is the foundation of all good government, as 
it instructs rulers and subjects in their respective duties. 
A French lady once said to Lord Chesterfield, that she 
thought the Parliament of England consisted of five or six 
hundred of the best informed and most sensible men in 
the kingdom. 'True, Madam, they are generally sup- 
posed to be so.' ' What then, my lord, can be the reason 
that they tolerate so great an absurdity as the Christian 
religion V ' I suppose, Madam,' replied his lordship, * it 
is because they have not been able to substitute anything 
better in its stead ; when they can, I do not doubt but in 
their wisdom they will readily adopt it.' 

ix. 13. — A foolish woman is clamorous. 

A short time since, a mechanic at Windford, near 
Middlewick, being ill, and unable to attend his work as 
usual, his wife reproached him bitterly ; and in the course 
of the altercation that ensued, worked herself in* o a 
furious passion, venting the most horrible and blasphemous 
imprecations on the poor man. In the midst ol her 



304 



PROVERBS XII. 



frenzy, she suddenly lost the use of her sight and speech, 
became almost completely paralyzed, and died in a few 
hours afterwards. 

x. 23. — It is as sport to a fool to do mischief. 

Some years ago, at a place near Penzance, some men 
and boys, accompanied by two young women, having 
fastened a bullock's horn to the tail of a dog, turned the 
affrighted animal loose, and followed with brutal exulta- 
tion. The dog, pursued by its savage tormentors, ran 
down a lane, when meeting a cart, drawn by two horses, 
laden with coals, the horses took fright ; the driver, who 
was sitting on the shafts of the cart, was thrown off, and 
the wheels passing over his head, he was killed on the 
spot. The persons who had occasioned this melancholy 
accident immediately suspended their chase of the dog, 
and the young women, on coming up, found that the lad 
just killed was their brother. We shall not attempt to 
describe their feelings. The deceased was about seven- 
teen years of age. 

xi. 8. — The righteous is delivered out of trouble, 
and the wicked cometh in his stead. 

Mr John Elliot, missionary among the American In- 
dians, having been out at sea in a boat, it was overset by 
a larger vessel, when he immediately sunk, without the 
most distant expectation of rising any more. In this 
situation he was perfectly composed, and resigned to His 
heavenly Father's will. He could say within himself, 
1 The will of the Lord be done.' His life, however, was 
spared. But the following circumstance, as closely con- 
nected with it, was rather remarkable. Many profane 
persons were exceedingly enraged against him for labour- 
ing among the Indians ; and one of this description, hear- 
ing of his narrow escape, anxiously and profanely wished 
he had been drowned. But within a few days that very 
man was drowned, in the very place where Mr Elliot 
found deliverance. 

xii. 10. — A righteous man regardeth the life of his 
beast. 

The Kev. Jonathan Scott never neglected his horse at 
home or abroad ; nor would he, either from inattention 
or false delicacy, confide, without inspection, in the care 



PROVERBS XIV. 



305 



of any man. He has been known, at the house of a friend, 
when he has thought his beast in any way neglected, to 
strip and thoroughly clean him with his own hands — 
administering at once to the comfort of his horse, and 
reproof to the servant of his friend — and even in his 
prayers he was accustomed, especially in his journeys, to 
pray for the strength and support of his animal, as ad- 
dressing a God whose care and providence extended to 
all His creatures. 

xiii. 24. — He that spareth his rod hateth his son : 
but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 

1 A child,' says Mr Abbott of America, i a short time 
since was taken ill with that dangerous disorder the 
croup. It was a child most ardently beloved, and ordi- 
narily very obedient. But in this state of uneasiness and 
pain, he refused to take the medicine which it was need- 
ful without delay to administer. The father finding him 
resolute, immediately punished his sick and suffering son; 
under these circumstances, and fearing that his son might 
soon die, it must have been a most severe trial to the 
father; but the consequence was, that the child was 
taught that sickness was no excuse for disobedience : 
and while his sickness continued, he promptly took what- 
ever medicine was prescribed, and was patient and sub- 
missive. Soon the child was well. Does any one say 
that this was cruel ? It was one of the noblest acts of 
kindness which could have been performed. If the father 
had shrunk from duty here, it is by no means impro- 
bable that the life of the child would have been the for- 
feit.' 

xiv. 13. — Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; 
and the end of that mirth is heaviness. 

A French physician was once consulted by a person 
who was subject to most gloomy fits of melancholy. He 
advised his patient to mix in scenes of gaiety, and parti- 
cularly to frequent the Italian theatre ; and added, ' If 
Carbine does not expel your gloomy complaint, your case 
must be desperate indeed.' The reply of the patient is 
worthy the attention of all those who frequent such places 
in search of happiness, as it shows the unfitness and in- 
sufficiency of these amusements. 'Alas! Sir, I am Car- 
line ; and' while I divert all Paris with mirth, and make 



PROVERBS XVII. 



them almost die with laughter. I myself am dying with 
melancholy and chagrin.' 

xv. 16. — Better is little with the fear of the Lord, 
than great treasure and trouble therewith. 

A missionary in India says, 1 1 rode to Nallaniaram, 
and saw some people of the congregation there, together 
with the catechist. The clothes of one of the women 
were rather dirty, and I asked her about it. M Sir," said 
she, " I am a poor woman, and have only this single 
dress." "Well, have you always been so poor?'' "No, 
I had some money and jewels, but a year ago the Mara- 
vers (thieves) came and robbed me of all. They told 
me," she said, " If you will return to heathenism, we shall 
restore to you everything." ' ; Well, why did you not follow 
their advice ? Xow you are a poor Christian." " 0, 
Sir," she replied, " I would rather be a poor Christian than 
a rich heathen. ZSTow I can say respecting my stolen pro- 
perty, The Lord gave it, and the Lord hath taken it 
again." ' 

xvi. 19. — Better it is to be of an humble spirit with 
the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 

A French writer remarks, that 1 the modest deportment 
of those who are truly wise, when contrasted with the as- 
suming air of the young and ignorant, may be compared to 
the different appearance of wheat, which, while its ear is 
empty, holds up its head proudly, but as soon as it is filled 
with grain, bends modestly down, and withdraws from 
observation.' 

xvii. 17. — A friend loveth at all times, and a brother 

is born for adversity. 

When Socrates was building a house for himself at 
Athens, being asked by one who observed the littleness 
of the design, why a man so eminent should not have an 
abode more suitable to his dignity ? he replied, that he 
should think himself sufficiently accommodated if he 
should see that narrow habitation filled with real friends. 
Such was the opinion of this great master of human na- 
ture, concerning the unfrequency of such a union of 
minds as might deserve the name of friendship ; that 
among the multitudes whom vanity or curiosity, civility 



PROVERBS XX. 



307 



or veneration, brought around hirn, he did not expect 
that very spacious apartments would be necessary to con- 
tain all who should regard him with sincere kindness, or 
adhere to him with steady fidelity. 

xviii. 4. — The words of a man's mouth are as deep 
waters, and the well-spring of wisdom as a flowing 
brook. 

4 For my part.' says Mr Hervey, t when Christ and His 
righteousness are the subject of conference, I know not 
how to complain of poverty. I feel no weariness ; but 
could rather delight to talk of them without ceasing. 
Would you not expect to hear of engagements and vic- 
tories from a soldier ? Would any be surprised to find a 
merchant discoursing of foreign affairs, or canvassing the 
state of trade ? Why, then, should not the agents for the 
court of heaven treat of heavenly things ? Why should 
not their whole conversation savour of their calling? 
Why should they be one thing when they bend the knee 
or speak from the pulpit, and quite a different one when 
they converse in the parlour ? ' 

xix. 7. — All the brethren of the poor do hate him ; 
how much more do his friends go far from him? he 
pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to 
him. 

In giving an account of the state of the Sandwich 
Islands, the missionaries state, that the helpless and de- 
pendent whether from age or sickness, are often cast from 
the habitations of their relatives and friends, to languish 
and to die — unattended and unpitied. An instance re- 
cently came to their knowledge, in which a poor wretch 
thus perished within sight of their dwelling, after having 
lain uncovered for days and nights in the open air, most 
of the time pleading in vain to his family, still within the 
hearing of his voice, for a drink of water. And when he 
was dead, his body, instead of being buried, was merely 
drawn so far into the bushes, as to prevent the offence 
that would have arisen from the corpse, and left a prey 
to the dogs who prowl through the district in the night. 

xx. 22. — Say not thou, I will recompense evil. 

A gentleman once sent his servant to John Bruen, 



308 



PROVERBS XXIII. 



Esq.. of Stapleton. in the county of Chester, forbidding 
him ever to set a foot upon his ground ; to whom he sent 
this truly Christian reply : — ; If it please your master to 
walk upon my grounds, he shall be very welcome ; but if 
he will please to come to my house, he shall be still more 
welcome.' By this meek reply, the gentleman was soft- 
ened into kindness, and became his friend ever after. 

xxi. 20. — There is treasure to be desired, and oil in 
the dwelling of the wise ; but a foolish man spendeth 
it up. 

An old woman, who showed the house and pictures at 
Towcester, expressed herself in these remarkable words : 
— ; That is Sir Robert Farmer ; he lived in the country, 
took care of his estate, built this house, and paid for it ; 
managed well, saved money, and died rich. — That is his 
son. He was made a lord, took a place at court, spent 
his estate, and died a beggar ! ' A very concise, but full 
and striking account. 

xxii. 25 — Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare 
to thy soul. 

1 A man,' says Bishop Home, 1 should be very well es- 
tablished in faith and virtue, who attempts to reclaim a 
witty and agreeable profligate ; otherwise he may become 
a convert, instead of making one. Chapelle, a person of 
this character, was met one day in the street by his friend 
Boileau, who took the opportunity of mentioning to him 
his habit of drinking, and the consequences of it. Un- 
fortunately they were just by a tavern ; Chapelle only 
desired they might step in there, and promised he would 
listen patiently and attentively. Boileau consented ; and 
the event was, that about one in the morning they were 
carried home dead drunk, and in separate coaches.' 

xxiii. 26. — My son, give me thine heart, 

A Hindoo, after spending some years in seclusion, and 
in endeavouring to obtain the mastery of his passions, 
came to a mission station, where he thus accosted the 
missionary: — 'I have a flower, a precious flower, to pre- 
sent as an offering ; but as yet I have found none worthy 
to receive it.' Hearing of the love of Christ, he said, 4 1 
will offer my flower to Christ, for He is worthy to receive 
it ' This flower was his heart. Jesus accepted it, and, 



PROVERBS XXVI. 



309 



after a short time, transplanted it to bloom in the bowers 
of Eden. 

xxiv. 6. — By wise counsel thou shalt make thy war. 
A certain Scotsman being solicited to enter the army 

and fight for his country, said to the officer who was de- 
sirous to enlist him, 'I would ask you, Sir, two questions, 
which, if you answer to my satisfaction, I shall have no 
hesitation to take up arms. The first is, — can you tell 
me, if I kill a man, that he will go to heaven ? Or can 
you say whether, if I am killed myself, I shall go there ?' 
To these two questions, so very important and solemn, 
the officer could not reply. 4 Well, then,' said the Scots- 
man, 4 I dare not send a fellow-creature unprepared into 
eternity, neither dare I rush thither myself unbidden' 

xxv. 21, 22. — If thine enemy be hungry, give him 
bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, give him water to 
drink : For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his 
head, and the Lord shall reward thee. 

During the persecuting times in England, two persons 
from Bedford went early one morning to the house of a 
pious man, who rented a farm in the parish of Keysoe, 
with the intention of apprehending and imprisoning him 
in Bedford jail for non-conformity. The good man knew 
their intention, and desired his wife to prepare breakfast, 
at the same time kindly inviting his visitors to partake 
with them. In asking a blessing, or in returning thanks 
for the food, he pronounced emphatically these words, 
1 If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him 
drink ;' by which means the hearts of his persecutors were 
so far softened that they went away without taking him 
into custody. 

xxvi. 28. — A flattering mouth worketh ruin. 

A clergyman in New England, eminent both for talents 
and humility, was one day accosted by a parishioner, 
who highly commended some of his performances, of 
which the clergyman himself had a very low opinion. 
After patiently hearing him a few minutes, the clergyman 
replied, 4 My friend all that you say gives me no better 
opinion of myself than I had before, but gives me a much 
worse opinion of you.' 



310 



PROVERBS XXIX. 



xxvii. 10. — Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, 
forsake not. 

The late excellent Mr Cathcart of Drum, was in the 
practice of keeping a diary, which, however, included one 
particular department, seldom to be found in like cases 
Mr Cathcart describes his plan and object in the follow- 
ing words : — 1 A memorial of acts of kindness, that as 
memory is liable to fail, and as the kindness and friend- 
ship of former times may be forgotten, the remembrance 
of friendly offices done to the writer or his family, or to 
his particular friends, might be preserved, in order that 
he may himself repay the debt in grateful acknowledg- 
ments while he lives, and that his family after him might 
know to whom their father owed obligations, and might 
feel every debt of gratitude due by him as an obligation 
on themselves.' 

xxviii. 1. — The wicked flee when no man pursueth; 
but the righteous are bold as a lion. 

i When I used to go,' said a man who formerly lived in 
sin, 4 to all kinds of fairs, and revels, and horse-races, I 
was never happy. As I was coming home through the 
woods at night, the rustling of a leaf would frighten me ; 
terrified by I knew not what, fleeing when no man pur- 
sued, I galloped home as fast as my horse could carry me. 
Now, if I go to visit a poor dying man, or if I have been 
enjoying the word of life, I come home in a calm and 
peaceful frame of mind. I find that the Lord is present 
with me ; and as I walk my horse gently along, I look 
up and see the bright stars above my head, and am happy 
in the assurance that the God who made them all is mine 
in Christ. O, what a mercy! — the loneliness of the 
wood, the rustling of the leaves, the stillness of night, no 
longer alarm me. I am, I trust, reconciled to my God, 
and at peace wuth Him and my own conscience, through 
the death of His Son. He that fills the heavens with His 
glory, and the earth with His mercies, condescends to 
dwell in, and to comfort, my poor sinful heart.' 

xxix. 27. — An unjust man is an abomination to the 
just; and he that is upright in the way is abomination 
to the wicked. 

The late Rev. Jonathan Scott, who had been for some 



PROVERBS XXXI. 



311 



time an officer in the army, and an irreligious man, says 
in a letter to a friend, 4 1 find that before I left the regi- 
ment, in order to go to Shrewsbury, I began to be a sus- 
pected person. Attending the ministry of such a notorious 
person as dear Romaine, and associating with some Chris- 
tian people, were sufficient to cause suspicions that I was 
turned this, and turned that. Upon my rejoining the 
regiment, I found it was no longer bare suspicion. ]STow 
they are convinced I am turned an arrant Methodist ; 
and this their persuasion is a very lucky one for me, for 
now they begin to think my company not worth being 
over-solicitous about ; and I am sure you will readily be- 
lieve that a very little of theirs is enough to satisfy me, 
or, more properly speaking, to dissatisfy me, so as to be 
tired of it, since their whole conversation consists in idle, 
vain nonsense, larded with horrid oaths and filthy ob- 
scenity ; this is the more shocking to me, as I must some- 
times be present at it, and have it not in my power to 
remedy it.' 

xxx. 17. — The eye that mocketh at his father, and 
despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley 
shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. 

Dr Adam Clarke, when a boy, having one day dis- 
obeyed his mother, she took the Bible, and read and 
commented on the preceding passage in a very serious 
manner. — The poor culprit was cut to the heart, believing 
the words had been sent immediately from heaven. He 
went out into the field with a troubled spirit, and was 
musing on this awful denunciation of Divine displeasure, 
when the hoarse croak of a raven sounded in his con- 
science an alarm more terrible than the cry of fire at 
midnight. He looked up, and soon perceived this most 
ominous bird, and actually supposing it to be the raven 
of which the text spoke coming to pick out his eyes, he 
clapped his hands on them, and with the utmost speed 
ran home, to escape the impending danger. 

xxxi. 5. — Lest they drink, and forget the law, and 
pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 

Philip, King of Macedon, having drunken too much wine, 
determined a cause unjustly, to the hurt of a poor widow, 
who, when sUe heard his decree, boldly cried out, f I ap- 



312 



ECCLESIASTES II. 



peal to Philip sober. 9 The king, struck with this strange 
appeal, began to recover his senses, heard the cause 
anew, and finding his mistake, ordered her to be paid, out 
of his own purse, double the sum she was to have lost. 



ECCLESIASTES. 

Chap. i. ver. 14. — I have seen all the works that are 
done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and 
vexation of spirit. 

Mr Locke, about two months before his death, drew up 
a letter to a certain gentleman, and left this direction on 
it, 1 To be delivered to him after my decease.' In it are 
these remarkable words : — ; This life is a scene of vanity 
that soon passes away, and affords no solid satisfaction, 
but in the consciousness of doing well, and in the hopes 
of another life. This is what I can say upon experience, 
and what you will find to be true, when you come to 
make up the account.' 

ii. 23. — All his days are sorrows, and his travail 
grief ; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. 
This is also vanity. 

On a court day in December 1795, the late Sir John 
Sinclair happened to meet Mr Secretary Dundas at St 
James's, who pressed him to name a day for visiting him 
at Wimbledon. The day fixed upon chanced to be the 
last of the year. The party was numerous, and included 
Mr Pitt. Sir John remained all night ; and next morn- 
ing, according to Scottish custom, resolved to pay his 
host an early visit in his own apartment. He found the 
secretary in the library, reading a long paper on the im- 
portance of conquering the Cape, as an additional secu- 
rity to our Indian possessions. His guest shook him by 
the hand, adding the usual congratulation, 1 1 come, my 
friend, to wish you a good new year, and many happy re- 
turns of the season.' The secretary, after a short pause, 
replied with some emotion, 'I hope this year will be hap- 
pier than the last ; for I scarcely recollect having spent 
one happy day in the whole of it.' This confession, com- 
ing from an individual whose whole life hitherto had been 



ECCLESIASTES VI. 



313 



a series of triumphs, and who appeared to stand secure 
upon the summit of political ambition, was often dwelt 
upon by Sir J ohn as exemplifying the vanity of human 
wishes. 

iii. 12. — I know that there is no good in them, but 
for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 

When Colonel Gardiner was raised from being Major, 
he observed, that it was, as to his personal concern, much 
the same to him, whether he had remained in his former 
station or been elevated to this, but that if God should 
by this means honour him as an instrument of doing more 
good than he could otherwise have done, he should rejoice 
in it. 

iv. 4. — I considered every right work, that for this 
a man is envied of his neighbour. 

1 Dionysius the tyrant,' says Plutarch, 1 out of envy, 
punished' Philoxenius the musician because he could sing, 
and Plato the philosopher because he could dispute, 
better than himself.' 

v. 5. — Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than 
that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 

' Monday evening,' writes Mrs Judson, ' the daughters 

of sent to invite me and my sisters to spend the 

evening with them, and make a family visit. I hesitated 
a little, but considering that it was to be a family party 
merely, I thought I could go without breaking my reso- 
lutions. Accordingly I went, and found that two or three 
other families of young ladies had been invited. Dancing 
was soon introduced — my religious plans were forgotten — 
I joined, with the rest—was one of the gayest of the gay — 
and thought no more of the new life I had begun. On 

my return home, I found an invitation from Mrs in 

waiting, and accepted it at once. My conscience let me 
pass quietly through the amusements of that evening also ; 
but when I retired to my chamber, on my return, it ac- 
cused me of breaking my most solemn resolution. I 
thought I should never dare to make others, for I clearly 
saw that I was unable to keep them.' 

vi. 12. — Who knoweth what is good for man in this 
life 1 



314 



FXCLESIASTES Tin. 



A minister of Bristol, preaching on the preceding text, 
introduced the following anecdote into his discourse, re- 
lated to him by his father, who knew the circumstances 
to be true : — A gentleman in an extensive line of business 
in a distant part of the country, left his house with an 
intention of going to Bristol fair ; but when he had pro- 
ceeded about half way on his journey, he was seized with 
a violent fit of the stone, which detained him several days 
at the place ; and as the fair was by this time nearly over, 
he was induced to return home. Some years after, the 
same gentleman happening to be on business at some 
place where the assizes for the county were held, was pre- 
sent at the execution of a criminal who was then about to 
suffer. Whilst he was mixed with the crowd, the criminal 
intimated a wish to speak with him, and signified that he 
had something to communicate to him. The gentleman 
approached, and was addressed to the following effect : — 
' Do you recollect having intended at such a time to go 
to Bristol fair ? ' ' Yes,' replied the gentleman, 1 perfectly 
well.' ' It is well you did not,' said the criminal, 1 for it 
was the intention of myself and several others, who knew 
that you had a considerable sum of money about you, to 
way-lay and rob, and, if I mistake not, murder you, to 
escape detection.' 

vii. 21. — Also take no heed unto all words that are 
spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee. 

Adrian, the coadjutor of Ximenes in the government 
of Castile, was much disturbed at the libels which flew 
about against them. Ximenes was perfectly easy. 1 If,' 
said he, ' we take the liberty to act, others will take the 
liberty to talk and write : when they charge us falsely, we 
may laugh ; when truly, we must amend.' 

viii. 1. — Who is as the wise man? a man's wisdom 
maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face 
shall be changed. 

Mr Philip Henry used to remark, 1 that it is strange to 
see sometimes what an awe arises upon the spirits of 
wicked men, from the very company and presence of one 
eminent in ho^ness ; they dare not do then as they dare 
and do at other times. One having dined with Mr John 
Dod, said afterwards, that he did not think it could have 
been possible to have forborne swearing so long.' 



ECCLESIASTES XII. 



315 



ix. 7. — Eat thy bread with joy. and drink thy wine 
with a merry heart ; for God now accepteth thy works. 

The Rev. Samuel Whiting, a learned and useful minis- 
ter in Xew England, being at one time on a journey, 
some persons in an adjoining room of the inn were exces- 
sively noisy and clamorous in their mirth. Mr Whiting, 
as he passed by their door, looked in upon them, and 
with a sweet majesty only dropped these words : — 
'Friends, if you are sure that your sins are pardoned, 
you may be wisely merry.' These words not only stilled 
their noise for the present, but also had a great effect 
afterwards on some of the company. 

x. 17. — Thy princes eat in due season, for strength, 
and not for drunkenness. 

A man of temperate habits was once dining at the house 
of a free drinker. 2ST o sooner was the cloth removed from 
the dinner-table, than wine and spirits were produced, 
and he was asked to take a glass of spirits and water. 
1 2S o, thank you,' said he, 'I am not ill.' 'Take a glass 
of wine, then,' said his hospitable host, ' or a glass of ale.' 
' No, thank you,' said he, ' I am not thirsty.' These an- 
swers called forth a loud burst of laughter. Soon after 
this, the temperate man took a piece of bread from the 
side-board, and handed it to his host, who refused it, 
saying that he was not hungry. At this the temperate 
man laughed in his turn. 6 Surely,' said he, k I have as 
much reason to laugh at you for not eating when you are 
not hungry, as you have to laugh at me for declining me- 
dicine when not ill, and drink when I am not thirsty.' 

xi. 9. — Know thou that for all these things God will 
bring thee into judgment. 

A person in a stage coach, who had indulged in a strain 
of speech which betrayed licentiousness and infidelity, 
teemed hurt that no one either agreed or disputed with 
him. 'Well,' he exclaimed, as a funeral procession 
slowly passed the coach, 'there is the last job of all.' 
6 No,' replied a person directly opposite to him, 'Xo- for 
atter death is the judgment' The speaker was silenced. 

xii. 1. — Remember now thy Creator in the days of 
thy youth. 



316 



SONG- OF SOLOMON ITT. 



An old man, one day taking a child on his knee, en- 
treated him to seek God now — to pray to Him — and to 
loye Him; when the child, looking up at him, asked, 
'But why do not you seek God ?' The old man, deeply 
affected, answered, 4 1 would, child ; but my heart is hard 
— my heart is hard? 



SONG OF SOLOMON. 

Chap. i. yer. 4. — We will remember thy loye more 
than wine : the upright loye thee. 

In a letter from the Bey. Dr Judson, missionary at 
Burmah, addressed to American females, the following 
anecdote is related: — 'A Karen woman offered herself 
for baptism. After the usual examination, I inquired 
whether she could give up her ornaments for Christ. It was 
an unexpected blow\ I explained the spirit of the Gos- 
pel. I appealed to her own consciousness of yanity. I 
read to her the apostle's prohibition (1 Tim. ii. 9). She 
looked again and again at her handsome necklace, and 
then, with an air of modest decision, that would adorn, 
beyond all ornaments, any of my sisters whom I haye the 
honour of addressing, she took it off, saying, U I love 
Christ more than this." ' 

ii. 3. — I sat down under his shadow with great de- 
light. 

The Rev. Isaac Toms, of Hadleigh, in England, re- 
marked to one of his daughters, on her return from a long 
visit to her friends, 1 I haye heard of Dryden's content- 
ment when sitting under the statue of Shakespeare ; and 
that Buffon, the celebrated natural historian, felt himself 
happy at the feet of Sir Isaac Newton ; but,' said he, 
pointing to a picture which hung oyer his desk, ' here you 
find me under the shadow of good Richard Baxter. Yet, 
my dear,' added the venerable saint, 8 the most desirable 
situation in which we can be placed, is to be under the 
shadow of the Almighty, — under the protection of the great 
Redeemer.' 

iii. 11. — Behold King Solomon with the crown. 
The following is an extract from a letter written by Mt 

Strachan, one of the heralds at the coronation of his Ma- 



SONG OF SOLOMON V. 



317 



jest j George III. : — 1 After the King was crowned, and 
invested with all his royal dignity, all the peers were 
allowed the privilege of putting on their crowns. They 
looked like a company of kings, as in some sense they 
were. But immediately they came, one by one, and laid 
down their crowns at their sovereign's feet, in testimony 
of their having no power or authority but what they de- 
rived from him ; and having each kissed his sceptre, he 
allowed each of them to kiss himself ; upon which their 
crowns were restored to them, and they were all allowed 
to reign as subordinate kings. This could not miss bring- 
ing to mind what is recorded in the Revelation, of the 
whole redeemed company, who are said to be kings and 
priests unto God, and who are to reign with J esus Christ 
for ever and ever ; their casting down their crowns, and 
saying, "Thou art worthy to receive power and majesty." 
I thought with myself were I so happy as to make one of 
that innumerable company, redeemed from among men, 
I should not envy all the nobles in England what they 
are now enjoying.' 

iv. 11. — Thy lips, 0 my spouse, drop as the honey- 
comb ; honey and milk are under thy tongue. 

Mr Hervey, in a letter, says — 1 1 have lately seen that 

most excellent minister of the ever-blessed Jesus, Mr . 

I dined, supped, and spent the evening with him at North- 
ampton, in company with Dr Doddridge, and two pious 
ingenious clergymen of the Church of England, both of 
them known to the learned world by their valuable writ- 
ings ; and surely I never spent a more delightful evening, 
or saw one that seemed to make nearer approaches to the 
felicity of heaven. A gentleman of great worth and rank 
in the town, invited us to his house, and gave us an ele- 
gant treat ; but how mean was his provision, how coarse 
his delicacies, compared with the fruit of my friend's lips ! 
— they dropped as the honey-comb, and were a well of 
life.' 

v. 1. — Eat, 0 friends; drink, yea, drink abund- 
antly, O beloved. 

When the American army, under the command of Ge- 
neral Washington, lay encamped in the environs of Mar- 
ristown, N. J., the Lord's Supper was to be administered 



318 



SONG OF SOLOMON VTI. 



in the Presbyterian church of that village. In a morning 
of the previous week, the General visited the house ot 
the Rev. Dr Jones, then pastor of that church, and thus 
accosted him: — i Doctor, I understand that the Lord's 
Supper is to be celebrated with you next Sabbath ; I 
would learn if it accords with, the canons of your church 
to admit communicants of another denomination ?' The 
Doctor rejoined, 1 Most certainly ; ours is not the Presby- 
terian table, General, but the Lord's table ; and we hence 
give the Lord's invitation to all His followers, of whatever 
name.' The General replied, ' I am glad to hear it — that 
is as it ought to be ; but as I was not quite sure of the 
fact, I thought I would ascertain it from yourself, as I 
purpose to be with you on that occasion. Though a 
member of the Church of England, I have not exclusive 
partialities.' The Doctor re-assured him of a cordial 
welcome, and the General was found seated with the com- 
municants next Sabbath. 

vi. 10. — Fair as the moon. 

The Rev. Ebenezer Erskine has the following entry in 
his diary, of September 23, 1713: — 'I was this day at 
Kirkness and Ballingry, with my wife ; and upon the 
way home, towards the twilight, a little after sunset, the 
moon appeared in the east, about the full ; and it pleased 
the Lord to give me some views of His power and glory 
in that creature. It appeared to me to be a vast body, 
bright and glorious, hanging pendular upon nothing, sup- 
ported only by the power of the eternal God. I wondered 
how there could be an atheist in the world, that looked 
on this glorious creature, wherein there appeared so much 
of the wisdom and power of the Creator.' 

vii. 12. — Let us get up early to the vineyards. 

Morier, when he travelled in Persia, observed the people 
sleeping on the house-tops ; he noticed that the women 
were generally up first, and stirring about with activity 
at an early hour. — Lord Mansfield, a celebrated judge in 
England, used to ask any aged person who came before 
him as a witness, about his manner and habits of life ; 
and he said that among the many hundreds he had spoken 
to, he always found that they were early risers, however 
they might differ in other respects. 



ISAIAH II. 



319 



viii. 7. — If a man would give all the substance of his 
house for love, it would utterly be contemned. 

A boy, not five years of age, hearing his parent read 
the parable of the Wedding Garment, and remark on the 
concluding sentence — ' For many are called, but few are 
chosen,' — that it may be understood of such as profess to 
believe in Christ, but are not approved by Him ; asked 
why they were not approved ? He was referred to the 
parable, which showed that there was something greatly 
wanting in them. ' But what,' said he i is it, that is want- 
ing, that Jesus should approve them ? Is it love to Jesus 
Christ V 



ISAIAH. 

Chap. i. ver. 18. — Though your sins be as scarlet, 
they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like 
crimson, they shall be as wool. 

A sailor on watch w r as one evening walking backwards 
and forwards on deck, when a sudden squall of wind 
caused the vessel to give a heavy lurch. The sailor was 
driven against one of the stauncheons, and somewhat in- 
jured. He gave vent to his anger by a dreadful oath — 
cursing the wind, the ship, the sea, and (awful to men- 
tion) the Being who made them. Scarcely had this hor- 
rid oath escaped his lips, when it appeared to roll back 
upon his mind with such awful force, that, for a moment 
or two, he thought he saw the sea parting, and the vessel 
going down. During the whole of that night, the dread- 
ful oath haunted his mind like a spectre, and its conse- 
quences appeared to bring his certain damnation. For 
several days he was in the deepest distress of mind, till, 
happening to turn over some things in his chest, he found 
a leaf of the Bible wrapped about one of the articles in 
it, containing nearly the whole of the first chapter of 
Isaiah. The reading of the above passage, in particular, 
deeply impressed his mind, and, together with his subse- 
quent attendance on the means of grace, was the means 
of relieving him from his distress, and he was enabled to 
believe that the Lord had forgiven his great sin. 

ii. 4. — They shall beat their swords into plow-shares, 
and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation shall not 



320 



ISAIAH m. 



lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn 
war any more. 

The Rev. Mr Orsmond, missionary in Eimeo, says, — 
' A few weeks ago, I overheard some chiefs conversing 
among themselves ; the following are a few of the expres- 
sions which I caught ; — " But for our teachers, our grass 
on the hill, our fences and houses, would have been fire 
ashes long ago — (meaning that there would have been 
wars, in which their houses would have been burned, had 
not Christianity been established). But for the Gospel 
we should now have been on the mountains, squeezing 
moss for a drop of water ; eating raw roots, and smother- 
ing the cries of our children by filling their mouths with 
grass, dirt, or cloth. Under the reign of the Messiah, we 
stretch out our feet at ease ; eat our food, keep our pig 
by the house, and see our children, wife, and all, at 
table, in the same house. We do not know our ances- 
tors, our kings, and our parents ; and we were all blind, 
till the birds flew across the great expanse with good 
seeds in their mouths, and planted them among us. We 
now gather the fruit, and have continual harvest. It was 
God who put it into the hearts of those strangers to come 
to us. We have nothing to give them. They are a people 
who seek our good ; but we are a people of thorny hands, 
of pointed tongues, and we have no thoughts. If God 
were to take our teachers from us, we should soon be 
savage again. They are the great roots to the tree on the 
high hill ; the wind strikes it, twists it, but cannot level 
it to the ground, for its roots are strong. Our hearts de- 
lighted in war, but our teachers love peace, and we now 
have peace.'" 

iii. 22, 23 The changeable suits of apparel, and the 

mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins, the 
glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the veils. 

The Rev. John Harrion, a Dissenting minister at Den- 
ton in Norfolk, had two daughters who were much too 
fond of dress, which was a great grief to him. He had 
often reproved them in vain ; and preaching one Sabbath 
day on the sin of pride, he took occasion to notice, among 
other things, pride in dress. After speaking some consi- 
derable time on this subject, he suddenly stopped short, 
and said, with much feeling and expression, ' But you will 



ISAIAH VI. 



321 



say, Look at home. My good friends, I do look at home, 
till rny heart aches.' 

iv. 4. — When the Lord shall have washed away the 
filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged 
the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the 
spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 

'I remember,' says Mr Whitefield, 'some years ago, 
when I was at Shields, I went into a glass-house ; and, 
standing very attentive, I saw several masses of burning 
glass of various forms. The workman took a piece of 
glass, and put it into one furnace, then he put it into a 
second, and then into a third. I said to him, " Why do 
you put it through so many fires ?" He answered, " O, 
Sir, the first was not hot enough, nor the second, there- 
fore we put it into a third, and that will make it trans- 
parent." 5 This furnished Mr Whitefield with a useful 
hint, that we must be tried, and exercised with many 
fires, until our dross be purged away, and we are made 
fit for the owner's use, 

v. 22. — Woe unto them that are mighty to drink 
wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink. 

Two young men, lately drinking together at a public- 
house, in a village near Huntingdon, fell into a conversa- 
tion as to who could drink most without being intoxicated. 
One of them said to the other, ' I will call for a half- 
crown's worth of gin ; if you finish the liquor, I will pay 
for it — if not, you shall.' The other agreed to the pro- 
posal, and drank till he fell from the chair, when he was 
carried home, and soon after died. How awful to meet 
death in such a state ! 

vi. 9. — He said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye in- 
deed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but per- 
ceive not. 

i On the morning before I was licensed,' says the late 
Rev. John Brown, ' that text was much impressed on my 
spirit, " He said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, 
but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not," 
etc. Since I was ordained at Haddington, I know not 
how often it hath been heavy to my heart to think how 
much this Scripture hath been fulfilled in my ministry. 

x 



322 



ISAIAH VIII. 



Frequently I have had an anxious desire to be removed 
by death, from being a plague to my poor congregation. 
Often, however, I have checked myself, and have consi- 
dered this wish as my folly, and begged of the Lord, that 
if it were not for His glory to remove me by death, He 
would make me successful in my work.' 

vii. 18. — The Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the 
uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt. 

Vinisauf, speaking of the army under Richard L, a little 
before he left the Holy Land, and describing them as 
marching on the plain not far from the sea-coast, says, 
4 The army stopping a while there, rejoicing in the hope 
of speedily setting out for Jersalem, were assailed by a 
most minute kind of fly, flying about like sparks, which 
they call cincinellac. With these the whole neighbouring 
region round about was filled. These most wretchedly 
infested the pilgrims, piercing with great smartness the 
hands, necks, throats, foreheads, and faces, and every part 
that was uncovered, a most violent burning tumour fol- 
lowing the punctures made by them, so that all that they 
stung looked like lepers.' He adds, 'That they could 
hardly guard themselves from this most troublesome vexa- 
tion, by covering their heads and necks with veils.' 

viii. 21. — They shall fret themselves, and curse their 
king and their God, and look upward. 

General Burn, in describing the effects of a violent 
storm that assailed the vessel in which he was returning to 
England, off the coast of Whitehaven, says, ' As beings 
imagining they had but a few moments to live, all strove 
with dying eagerness to reach the quarter-deck, but we 
had scarcely raised ourselves upright when the ship struck 
a second time, more violently than before, and again 
threw us all prostrate. The scene was enough to make 
the heart of the stoutest sinner tremble. I very well re- 
member the agony of one of my poor messmates. This 
man had acquired considerable property in Jamaica, and 
during the voyage, like the rich man in the parable, was 
frequently devising plans of future happiness. At this 
awful moment, he exclaimed bitterly against the treat- 
ment of Heaven, that had made him spend so many toil- 
some years in a scorching and unhealthy climate to pro- 



ISAIAH XI. 



323 



cure a little wealth ; and when with pain and trouble he 
had heaped it together, had tantalized him with a sight of 
the happy shore, where he expected peaceably to enjoy 
it ; but now with one cruel sudden stroke, had defeated 
all his hopes. The cutting reflections and bitter com- 
plaints which came from this man's mouth, expressed 
such black despair, that he appeared more like a fiend of 
the bottomless pit, than a sinner yet in the land of hope.' 

ix» 13. — The people turDeth not unto him that 
smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts. 

A Christian friend visiting a good man under great dis- 
tress and afflicting dispensations, which he bore with such 
patient and composed resignation, as to make his friend 
wonder and admire it — inquired how he was enabled so 
to comfort himself? The good man said, ' The distress I 
am under is indeed severe; but I find it lightens the 
stroke very much, to creep near to Him who handles the rod ; 
adding, ' But where else, save in the religion of Christ, 
could such a sufferer find such a support !' 

x. 15. — Shall the axe boast itself against him that 
heweth therewith ? or shall the saw magnify itself 
against him that shaketh it ? 

When Bonaparte was about to invade Russia, a person 
who had endeavoured to dissuade him from his purpose, 
finding he could not prevail, quoted to him the proverb, 
' Man proposes, but God disposes ; to which he indignantly 
replied, ' I dispose as well as propose/ A Christian lady, 
on hearing the impious boast, remarked, ' I set that down 
as the turning point of Bonaparte's fortunes. God will 
not suffer a creature with impunity thus to usurp His 
prerogative.' It happened to Bonaparte just as the lady 
predicted. His invasion of Russia was the commence- 
ment of his fall. 

xi. 9. — The earth shall be full of the knowledge of 
the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. 

At a missionary meeting in Raiatea, Tamatoa, a Chris- 
tian chief, thus addressed the audience : — ' Let us,' said 
he, 1 continue to give our oil and our arrow-root to God, 
that the blind may see, and the deaf hear. Let us not be 
weary in this good work. We behold the great deep ; it 



324 



ISAIAH XIII. 



is full of sea — it is rough and rugged underneath — but 
the water makes a plain smooth surface, so that nothing 
of its ruggedness is seen. Our lands were rugged and 
rough with abominable and wicked practices ; but the 
good word of God has made them smooth. Many other 
countries are now rough and rugged with wickedness and 
wicked customs. The word of God alone can make these 
rough places smooth. Let us all be diligent in this good 
work, till the rugged world is made smooth by the word 
of God, as the waters coyer the ruggedness of the great 
deep. Let us. above all, be concerned to have our own 
hearts washed in Jesus' blood ; then God will become 
our friend, and Jesus our brother.' 

xii. 1. — In that day thou shalt say. 0 Lord, I will 
praise thee : though thou wast angry with me, thine 
anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. 

The late Rev. Thomas Scott, during his last illness, 
sometimes wanted that comfort which he usually enjoyed ; 
and though hope as to his final salvation generally predo- 
minated, yet he would say, * Even one fear, where infinity 
is at stake, is sufficient to countervail all its consoling 
effects.' Having received the sacrament, at the conclu- 
sion of the service, he adopted the language of Simeon, 
' Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, for 
mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.' Through the re- 
mainder of the day, and during the night, he continued 
in a very happy state of mind. To one who came in the 
evening, he said, 4 It was beneficial to me: I received 
Christ last night : I bless God for it.' He then repeated, 
in the most emphatic manner, the whole twelfth chapter 
of Isaiah. The next morning he said, 1 This is heaven 
begun. I have done with darkness for ever— for ever. 
Satan is vanquished. Nothing now remains but salvation 
with eternal glory — eternal glory. 1 

xiii. 20, 21. — It shall never be inhabited, neither 
shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. 
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there ; and their 
houses shall be full of doleful creatures. 

When Babylon was first deserted of its inhabitants, the 
Persian kings turned it into a park for hunting, and kept 
their wild beasts there. When the Persian empire de- 



ISAIAH XV. 



325 



clined, the beasts broke loose, so that, when Alexander 
the Great marched eastward, he found Babylon a perfect 
desert. He intended to restore Euphrates to its ancient 
channel, but the design not having been completed, the 
river overflowed its banks, and the greater part of that 
once celebrated city became a lake or pool of water. Theo- 
doras, who lived about four hundred years after Christ, 
tells us, that Babylon was the receptacle of snakes, ser- 
pents, and all sorts of noxious animals, so that it was 
dangerous to visit it. Benjamin of Toledo, a Jew, who 
visited it in 1112, informs us. that few remains of it were 
left, nor were there any inhabitants within many miles of 
it. Eawolffe, a German, who travelled to the east in 
1572, found it very difficult to discover the place on which 
it stood, nor could the neighbouring inhabitants give him 
proper directions. Mr Hanway, a late traveller, with 
every assistance that could be procured, spent several 
days in endeavouring to ascertain its situation, but in 
vain, so completely has it been swept, with the besom of 
destruction, from the face of the earth. 

xiv. 17. — That opened not the house of his prisoner 

Mr William Jenkyn, one of the ejected ministers in 
England, being imprisoned in Xewgate, presented a peti- 
tion to King Charles II. for a release, which was backed 
by an assurance from his physicians, that his life was in 
danger from his close imprisonment but no other answer 
could be obtained than this, 4 Jenkyn shall be a prisoner 
as long as he lives.' — A nobleman having sometime after 
heard of his death, said to the King, ' May it please your 
Majesty, Jenkyn has got his liberty.' Upon which he 
asked, with eagerness, ' Aye ! who gave it him ?' The 
nobleman replied, 'A greater than your Majesty — the 
King of kings :' with which the King seemed greatly 
struck, and remained silent. 

xv. 4. — Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeli ; their voice 
shall be heard even unto Jahaz. 

Sir John Chardin, giving an account of the Eastern 
lamentations, says, 'Their sentiments of joy, or of grief, 
are properly transports ; and their transports are ungo- 
verned, excessive, and truly outrageous. When any one 
returns from a long journey, or dies, his family burst into 
cries, that may be heard twenty doors off; and this is 



326 



ISAIAH XVII. 



renewed at different times, and continues many days, 
according to the vigour of the passion. Especially are 
these cries long in the case of death, and frightful ; for 
the mourning is right down despair, and an image of hell. 
I was lodged, in the year 1676, at Ispahan, near the Royal 
Square ; the mistress of the next house to mine died at 
that time. The moment she expired, all the family, to 
the number of twenty-five or thirty people, set up such a 
furious cry, that I was quite startled, and was above two 
hours before I could recover myself.' 

xvi. 4. — Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab. 

Mr Philip Henry, one of the Nonconformist ministers, 
when silenced from preaching, by the Act of Uniformity, 
took comfort himself, and administered comfort to others 
from the preceding passage. 1 God's people,' he ob- 
served, ' may be an outcast people, cast out of men's 
love, their synagogues, their country ; but God will own 
His people when men cast them out ; they are outcasts, 
but they are His, and some way or other He will provide 
a dwelling for them.' — Shortly before his death, the same 
pious man observed, that though many of the ejected 
ministers were brought very low, had many children, 
were greatly harassed by persecution, and their friends 
generally poor and unable to support them ; yet, in all 
his acquaintance, he never knew, nor could remember to 
have heard of, any Nonconformist minister in prison for 
debt. 

xvii. 7. — At that day shall a man look to his Maker, 
and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of 
Israel. 

The Rev. Mr Charles had, at one time, the prospect of 
obtaining a situation in North Wales, which he much 
wished ; but, as in a former instance, he eventually failed. 
The place appears to have been lost through the remiss- 
ness of a friend, who was commissioned to treat for the 
situation. ' If I had not, at that moment,'' says Mr C, 
* seen the hand of God in it, I should have been very 

angry indeed with Mr . Everything is under the 

control of the All-wise God. To see and believe this, will 
make us perfectly easy and resigned, even in the greatest 
disappointments. How true it is, " that he thatbelieveth 



ISAIAH XIX. 



327 



m Him shall not be moved." And what a blessed thing 
it is to obtain a firmness and stability which nothing can 
shake ; no, not even the wreck of nature.' 

xviii. 2. — That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even 
in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters. 

'We went up the river Euphrates,' says an eastern 
traveller, 'this afternoon. Our boat was of a peculiar 
make. In shape it was like a large round basket ; the 
sides were of willow, covered over with bitumen, a sort 
of pitch ; the bottom was made with reeds ; it had two 
men with paddles, one of whom paddled toward him, 
and the other pushed from him. This sort of boat is 
common on the Euphrates, and may be of the same kind 
as the vessels of bulrushes upon the waters spoken of by 
Isaiah.' 

xix. 20. — The Lord shall send them a Saviour, and 
a great one, and he shall deliver them. 

The Rev. Mr Grimshawe stated, at a recent meeting of 
the Religious Tract Society, that a few years ago he met 
with Mr Colemeister, who had laboured among the Esqui- 
maux for thirty-four years, and had first translated the 
four Gospels into the Esquimaux language. Among a 
variety of interesting questions Mr Grimshawe put to him, 
he thought that he would question him upon a point of 
some curiosity and difficulty, respecting his translation. 
Knowing how imperfect barbarous languages are, and how 
inadequate to express any abstract idea, Mr G. requested 
him to say how he translated the word Saviour in the Gos- 
pel. Mr Colemeister said, ' Your question is remarkable, 
and perhaps the answer may be so too. It is true, the 
Esquimaux have no word to represent the Saviour, and I 
could never find out that they had any direct notion of 
such a Friend. But I said to them, " Does it not happen 
sometimes when you are out fishing, that a storm arises, 
and some of you are lost, and some saved?" They 
said, "O yes, very often," — "But it also happens that 
you are in the water, and owe your safety to some brother 
or friend who stretches out his hand to help you ?" — 
" Very frequently." — " Then, what do you call that 
friend ?" They gave me in answer a word of their lan- 
guage, and I immediately wrote it against the term 



328 ISAIAH XXI. 

Saviour in Holy Writ, and ever after it was intelligible 
to them.' 

xx. 4. — The King of Assyria shall lead away the 
Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young 
and old, naked and barefoot. 

About a mile from the new town of St Nicholas, in 
Russia, Mr Howard, the philanthropist, inspected four 
rooms for sick recruits and prisoners of war. The num- 
ber crowded into these room was upwards of three hun- 
dred, many of whom were extremely ill. and supplied with 
provisions of the worst quality. Going back to the town, 
accompanied by the physician and several officers, he 
found fifty objects of such extreme wretchedness, as, in 
the whole course of his extensive -visits to the abodes of 
misery and vice, he had never before seen together. Most 
of them were recruits, in the prime of life, many of whom 
were dying upon a bed of hard, coarse reeds, without 
linen or coverlids, or anything to protect them bur a few 
remnants of their old clothes ; their persons indescribably 
filthy, and their shirts in rags. After viewing other scenes 
of misery, he makes the following reflections : — ' Let but 
a contemplative mind reflect a moment upon the condi- 
tion of these poor destitute wretches, forced from their 
homes and all their dearest connections, and compare 
them with those one has seen, cheerful, clean, and happy, 
at a wedding or village festival ; — let them be viewed 
quitting their birth-place, with all their little wardrobe, 
and their pockets stored with rubles, the gifts of their re- 
lations, who never expect to see them more ; now joining 
their corps in a long march of one or two thousand 
wersts ; their money gone to the officer who conducts 
them, and defrauds them of the government allowance ; 
arriving fatigued and half-naked in a distant dreary 
countiy, and exposed immediately to military hardships, 
with harassed bodies, and dejected spirits ; and who can 
wonder that so many droop and die in a short time, 
without any apparent illness ? The devastations I have 
seen made by war among so many innocent people, and 
this in a country where there are such immense tracts of 
land unoccupied, are shocking to human nature.' 

xxi. 16. — Within a year, according to the years of an 
hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail. 



ISAIAH XXIV. 



329 



1 1 remember, 5 observes one, 1 having heard a sensible 
person say he could never covet the office of chief magis- 
trate of London, because that honour continued only one 
year. Might not the idea be justly extended to all the 
honours and enjoyments of this life? None of them are 
permanent.' 

xxii. 12, 13. — In that day did the Lord God of hosts 
call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and 
to girding with sackcloth : And behold joy and glad- 
ness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and 
drinking wine : let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we 
shall die. 

In the midst of the distresses with which France was 
harassed in the reign of Charles VII., and whilst the 
English were in possession of Paris, Charles amused him- 
self and his mistresses with balls and entertainments. 
The brave La Here, coming to Charles one day to talk 
to him on some business of importance, whilst the luxu- 
rious Prince was occupied in arranging one of his parties 
of pleasure, was interrupted by the Monarch, who asked 
him what he thought of his arrangement. ' I think, 
Sire,' said he, 'it is impossible for anyone to lose his 
kingdom more pleasantly than your Majesty.' 

xxiii. 18. — Her merchandise and her hire shall be 
holiness to the Lord. 

Mr Fisk, in giving an account of his missionary labours 
in Egypt, says, ' I have also become acquainted with the 
masters of several English merchant vessels, one of whom, 
I learn, has prayers daily with his men, and reads a ser- 
mon to them regularly on the Sabbath. Another has 
given me an interesting account of the " Floating Ark," 
for the support of which he is a subscriber, and in which 
he attends worship when at London. This vessel, he says, 
originally a sixty-four gun ship, having been purchased 
by a company of merchants in London, application was 
made to them by the Port of London Society, to obtain 
it as a place of worship for seamen. The merchants 
replied. " If you want it for that purpose, we make a dona- 
tion of it ; if for any other object, we charge you .£3000." 

xxiv. 15. — Glorify ye the Lord in the -fires. 



330 



ISAIAH XXVII. 



Ann Meiglo, a poor distressed woman in the parish of 
Portmoak, when visited by Mr Ebenezer Erskine, said to 
him, '0, Sir, I am just lying here, a poor useless crea- 
ture/ 'Think you so?' said he. 'I think, Sir, what is 
true, if I were away to heaven, I would be of some use to 
glorify God without sin.' ' Indeed, Annie,' said Mr Erskine. 
' I think you are glorifying God by your resignation and 
submission to His will, and that in the face of many diffi- 
culties, and under many distresses. In heaven the saints 
have no burdens to groan under ; your praises, burdened 
as you are, are more wonderful to me, and, I trust accept- 
able to God.' 

xxv. 8. — He will swallow up death in victory. 

Mr Livingston, speaking of Josias Welsh, says, 'On 
the Sabbath afternoon before his death, which was on 
Monday following, I heard of his sickness, and came to 
him about eleven o'clock at night, and Mr Blair about 
two hours thereafter. He had many gracious discoveries, 
as also some wrestling and exercise of mind. One time 
he cried out, " O for hypocrisy !" on which Mr Blair said, 
" See how Satan is nibbling at his heels before he enter 
into glory." A very little before he died, being at prayer 
by his bedside, and the word " victory" coming out of my 
mouth, he took hold of my hand, and desiring me to for- 
bear a little, and clapping his hands, cried out, " Victory, 
victory, victory, for evermore." He then desired me to 
go on, and in a little expired. His death happened on 
the 23d of June 1634.' 

xxvi. 19. — Thy dead men shall live, together with 
my dead body shall they arise. 

A man in Scotland, who had some years before buried 
his wife, and several of his children, one day stood lean- 
ing over a low wall, intently gazing on the spot in the 
churchyard, where he had deposited their dear remains. 
A person observing his thoughtful attitude, asked him 
what occupied his mind ? ' I am looking,' he said, 1 at 
the dust that lies there, and wondering at the indissoluble 
union betwixt it and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is in 
glory. 

xxvii. 5. — Let him take hold of my strength, that 



ISAIAH XXIX. 



331 



he may make peace with me : and he shall make 
peace with me. 

6 1 think,' says one, 6 1 can convey the meaning of this 
passage, so that every one may understand it, by what 
took place in my own family within these few days. One 
of my little children had committed a fault, for which I 
thought it my duty to chastise him. I called him to me, 
explained to him the evil of what he had done, and told 
him how grieved I was that I must punish him for it. 
He heard me in silence, and then rushed into my arms, 
and burst into tears. I could sooner have cut off my 
arm than have struck him for his fault : he had taken 
hold of my strength, also he had made peace with me.' 

xxviii. 9. — Whom shall he teach knowledge? and 
whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them 
that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the 
breasts. 

A venerable old minister, in New Hampshire, lodging 
at the house of a pious friend, observed the mother 
teaching some short prayers and hymns to her children. 
* Madam/ said he, 4 your instructions may be of far 
more importance than you are aware : my mother taught 
me a little hymn when a child, and it is of use to me to 
this day. I never close my eyes to rest, without first 
saying— 

"Now I lay me down to sleep, 
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep ; 
If I should die before I wake, 
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take." ' 

xxix. 8. — As when a thirsty man dreameth, and, be- 
hold, he drinketh ; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is 
faint, and his soul hath appetite. 

Mr Park, speaking of the great want of water in Africa, 
says, 4 1 frequently passed the night in the situation of 
Tantalus. No sooner had I shut my eyes, than fancy 
would convey me to the streams and rivers of my native 
land ; there, as I wandered along the verdant bank, I sur- 
veyed the clear stream with transport, and hastened to 
swallow the delightful draught ; but, alas, disappointment 
awakened me, and I found myself a lonely captive perish- 
ing of thirst, amidst the wilds of Africa.' 



332 



ISAIAH XXXII. 



xxx. 10. — Prophesy not unto us right things ; speak 
unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 

A Dissenting minister, preaching very practically, was 
found fault with by his people, who gave him to under- 
stand that they must part with him, if he did not alter the 
strain of his preaching. The minister having a family, 
shrunk for a time, but it preyed upon his health, which 
his wife observing, plainly told him that he distrusted 
God out of fear of man, and was unfaithful ; and begged 
of him to preach according to his conscience, and leave 
the event to God. Accordingly he did so, and was ex- 
pelled. Bat just at that time, a larger meeting, with a 
better salary, and a more lively people, being vacant, he 
was invited thither, and settled among them ; lived in 
plenty, and preached with acceptance and usefulness, till 
removed by death. 

xxxi. 4. — The lion and the young lion roaring on his 
prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth 
against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor 
abase himself for the noise of them. 

An instance of the courage of the lion is related in the 
account of one which had broken into a walled enclosure 
for cattle. The people of the farm, with the intention of 
destroying him on his return, stretched a rope across the 
entrance, to which several guns were fastened in a direc- 
tion to discharge their contents into his body, as soon as 
he should push against the cord with his breast. But the 
lion approached the rope, and struck it away with his 
foot ; and without showing any alarm in consequence of 
the reports of the guns, he went fearlessly on, and de- 
voured the prey he had before left untouched. 

xxxii. 2. — A. man shall be as an hiding place from 
the wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of 
water in a dry place ; as the shadow of a great rock 
in a weary land. 

A pious minister, some years ago, being called upon to 
preach a sermon for the benefit of a Sabbath School in 
Northamptonshire, was led to enlarge in his discourse on 
the necessity of being clothed with the Redeemer's right- 
eousness, as the only means of security from the wrath to 
come. "While speaking, a violent storm of thunder and 



ISAIAH XXXIII, 



333 



lightning came on, accompanied with rain and hail. The 
lightning struck a tree in the church-yard, shivered it to 
pieces, and drove a part of it through one of the windows. 
The congregation, alarmed, began to fly for safety in all 
directions. The minister entreated them to remain in the 
house of God ; reminding them, that if they were pro- 
tected from their sins by the righteousness of Christ, let 
storm, lightnings, or even death come, they were perfectly 
safe. In pursuing his disco urse, his attention was at- 
tracted to one of the Sabbath school girls, who was stand- 
ing near the pulpit, and who appeared to be peculiarly 
impressed by the sermon. Calling at her parent's house 
next day, the mother told him that her daughter had met 
with a disappointment, as she expected to go to the fair 
that day ; but a circumstance had occurred that would 
prevent her. ' TThat, my dear,' said the minister, 1 are 
you fond of going to fairs ?' The child immediately re- 
plied, ' 0 no, Sir ; I don't want to go to the fair ; I now 
only want to be clothed in that robe of righteousness 
which you were speaking of yesterday, that I may see 
Jesus Christ.' The minister entered into conversation 
with her, and found her mind so deeply impressed, that 
he had good reason to believe that a saving change was 
wrought on her sooL He left her. intending to repeat 
his visit next day. but received information of her death ; 
having been found dead in the garden. 

xxxiii. 15. — That shaketh his hands from holding of 
bribes. 

The borough of Hull, in the reign of Charles II., chose 
Andrew Marvell, a young gentleman of little or no for- 
tune, and maintained him in London for the service of 
the public. His understanding, integrity, and spirit, were 
dreadful to the then infamous administration. Persuaded 
he would be theirs if properly asked, they sent his old 
school-fellow, the Lord Treasurer Danby, to renew ac- 
quaintance with him in his garret. At parting, the Lord 
Treasurer slipped into his hand £1000, and then went to 
his chariot. Marvell, looking at the paper, called after 
the treasurer, J My Lord, I request another moment.' 
They went up again to the garret, and the servant boy 
was called, ; I ask, child, what had I for dinner yester- 
day?' 'Don't you remember, Sir. you had the little 
shoulder of mutton that you ordered me to bring from ^ 



334 



ISAIAH XXXY. 



woman in the market ?' 4 Yen* right, child. "What have 
I for dinner to-day ?' 4 Don't you know, Sir, that you 
bid me lay by the blade-bone to broil?' 4 It is so ; very 
right, child, go away. My Lord, do you hear that ? An- 
drew Marvell's dinner is provided : there is your piece of 
paper, I want it not ; I know the sort of kindness you in- 
tended ; I live here to serve my constituents, the ministry 
may seek men for their purpose ; I am not one.' 

xxxiv. 11. — The raven shall dwell in it. 

In the centre of a grove near Shelbourne, there stood 
an oak, which, though on the whole shapely and tall, jut- 
ted out to a great excrescence near the middle of the stem. 
On this tree a pair of ravens had made their nest for so 
many years, that it was called the - Raven-tree.' Many 
attempts had been made to reach the nest ; but when the 
climbers arrived at the swelling, it jutted out so in their 
way, and was so far beyond their grasp, that the boldest 
were defeated. Thus the birds continued to build un- 
molested, till the fatal day on which the tree was to be 
levelled. This was in the month of February, when these 
birds usually sit. The saw was applied to the trunk. 
The wedges were inserted into the opening, the woods 
echoed with the heavy sound of the axe and the mallet, 
and the tree nodded to its fall ; but still the dam persisted 
in sitting. At last, when it gave way, the bird was flung 
from the nest, and though her parental affection desened 
a better fate, was whipped down by the twigs, which 
brought her dead to the ground. 

xxxv. 10. — They shall obtain joy and gladness, and 
sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

During the last illness of the Rev. John WIHison of 
Dundee, he was visited by Mr Ralph Erskine ; and, while 
conversing together on the happiness of the better country, 
where the saints are perfect in knowledge and in love, a 
pious lady present, who was warmly attached to the na- 
tional Church, addressed Mr Erskine in these words, 
' Aye, Sir, there will be no Secession in heaven.' 1 O, 
Madam,' he instantly replied, 4 you are under a mistake ; 
for in beaven there will be a complete secession from all 
sin and sorrow.' 4 With pleasure,' said Mr TVillison, 4 do 
I adopt that view of Secession/ 



ISAIAH XXXVII. 



335 



xxxvi. 13. — Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud 
voice, in the Jews' language, and said. Hear ye the 
words of the great king, the king of Assyria, etc. 

In the reign of King James II.. Mr Baxter was com- 
mitted prisoner to the King's Bench, by the warrant of 
Lord Chief-Justice Jefferies, for some alleged seditious 
passages in his Paraphrase on the New Testament. When 
Drought to his trial, being very much indisposed, he 
moved, by his counsel, for further time : but the judge 
cried out in a passion — ; I will not give him a minute's 
time to save his life : we have had to deal with other 
sorts of persons, but now we have a saint to deal with. I 
know how to deal with saints as well as sinners. Yon- 
der stands Oates in the pillory, and he says he suffers for 
truth, and so says Baxter; but if Baxter did but stand 
on the other side of the pillory with him, I would say, 
two of the greatest rogues and rascals in the kingdom 
stood there !' Mi Baxter, beginning to speak for himself, 
Jefferies said to him, 'Richard, Richard, dost thou think 
we will hear thee poison the court ? Richard, thou art 
an old fellow, an old knave ; thou hast written books 
enow to till a cart, every one as full of sedition, I may 
say treason, as an egg is full of meat. Hadst thou been 
whipped out of thy writing trade forty years ago, it had 
been happy. I know thou hast a mighty party, and I see 
a great many of the brotherhood in corners, to see what 
will become of their mighty Don, and a Doctor of the 
party — meaning Dr Bates — at your elbow ; but by the 
grace of Almighty God, I'll crush them all.' After fur- 
ther mockery and* insult from this blustering judge. Mr 
Baxter was condemned to pay a heavy flue, and to re- 
main in prison till it was paid. He continued in prison 
two years, when, from a change of measures, he was set 
at liberty. 

xxxvii. 19. — And have cast their gods into the fire: 
for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, 
wood and stone ; therefore they have destroyed them. 

In a letter written by a French Jesuit, about a hundred 
years ago. it is stated, that at a place several leagues west- 
ward of Madras, some masons, who had embraced Chris- 
tianity, were employed by a Brahmin to repair the 
embankment of a reservoir of water. It is customary 



336 



ISAIAH XXXVIII. 



among the Hindoos to place in such situations a number 
of small idols made of stone. These the workmen de- 
signedly buried in the earth which they threw up to 
strengthen the embankment. The Brahmin coming to 
inspect their progress, said, 4 1 see nothing of our gods ; 
what have you done with them ?' i What is it you mean, 
Sir ?' replied the overseer ; ' I saw a heap of stones which 
I thought would be of use to strengthen the embankment ; 
but as for gods, I saw nothing of the kind.' 1 Those were 
the things you ought to have taken care of,' said the 
Brahmin ; ' did you not know they were our gods ?' 
* Those things,' answered the overseer, ' 1 understand as 
well as anybody ; it is my business to do so ; and, take 
my word for it, Sir, they were nothing but stones : if they 
were gods, as you say they are, they could easily get up 
again into their old places/ 

xxxviii. 5. — I have heard thy prayer, I have seen 
thy tears ; behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen 
years. 

In the autumn of 1799, the late Rev. T. Charles, of 
Bala, met with an afflicting dispensation. While travel- 
ling over Mount Migneint, in Carnarvonshire, on a freez- 
ing night, one of his thumbs became frost-bitten. It was 
so severely affected, that he was taken very ill, and his life 
was in danger. To prevent mortification, it was deemed 
necessary to have it amputated. This affliction was very 
trying both to his family and to his people. When he 
was considered to be in a dangerous state, a special 
prayer-meeting was called by the members of the chapel 
at Bala. Fervent supplications were offered up in his 
behalf. Several prayed on the occasion ; and one per- 
son, in particular, was much noticed at the time, for the 
very urgent and importunate manner with which he 
prayed. Alluding to the fifteen years added to Heze- 
kiah's life, he, with unusual fervency, entreated the Al- 
mighty to spare Mr C.'s life at least fifteen years. He 
several times repeated the following words, with such 
melting importunity as greatly affected all present : — 
1 Fifteen years more, O Lord ; we beseech Thee to add 
fifteen years more to the life of Thy servant. And wilt 
Thou not, O our God, give fifteen years more for the sake 
of Thy Church and Thy cause V Mr C. heard of this 



ISAIAH XL. 



337 



prayer, and it made a deep impression on his mind. He 
afterwards frequently mentioned it as a reason why he 
should make the hest use of his time, saying, that his fif- 
teen years would soon he completed. The last time that 
he visited South Wales, and was asked when he should 
come again, his answer was, at least to some, that his fif- 
teen years were nearly up, and that he should probably 
never visit them again. He mentioned this to several 
of his friends the last year of his life, and especially to 
his wife. It is remarkable, his death occurred just at the 
termination of the fifteen years. What is not less re- 
markable, it was during this time that he performed the 
most important acts of his life. It was during this time 
that he wrote the most valuable of his works ; established 
Sabbath schools ; was one means of originating the Bible 
Society ; and was instrumental in doing great good both 
to Scotland and Ireland. 

xxxix. 8. — There shall be peace and truth in my 
days. 

1 1 well remember,' says Dr Gibbons, 4 that discoursing 
with the late Sir Conyers Jocelyn about Mr Baxter and 
Dr Watts, he pleasantly but very truly observed, nearly in 
these words, that "The latter went to heaven on a bed of 
down in comparison of the former." Such was the dis- 
tinguishing privilege with which this holy man was 
favoured, not only to his own great comfort, but to the 
great benefit of the Church and the world, who might, 
had his feeble frame been haunted down by persecution, 
or locked up in a dark suffocating prison, have been de- 
prived, in a great measure, of his numerous and useful 
writings.' 

xl. 18. — To whom, then, will ye liken God ? or what 
likeness will ye compare unto him ? 

One day, when Mr Kichards, missionary in India, was 
conversing with the natives, a Fakeer came up, and put 
into his hand a small stone about the size of a sixpence, 
with the impression of two human likenesses sculptured 
on the surface ; he also proffered a few grains of rice, and 
said, ' This is Mahadeo !' Mr Kichards said, ' Do you 
know the meaning of Mahadeo ?' The Fakeer replied, 
' No.' Mr K. proceeded, 'Mahadeo means the Great God 
— He who is God of gods, and besides whom there cau 



338 



ISAIAH XLII. 



be no other. Now, this Great God is a Spirit ; no one 
can see a spirit, who is intangible. Whence, then, this 
visible impression on a senseless, hard, immoveable stone ? 
To whom will ye liken God ? or what likeness will ye 
compare unto Him? God is the high and lofty One that 
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy. He hath said, 
" I am Jehovah ; there is no God besides me." ' The 
poor Fakeer was serious, respectful, and attentive ; con- 
tinually exclaiming, 4 Your words are true.' 

xli. 10. — Fear thou not ; for I am with thee. 

One Sabbath lately, Mr Winder, at Edgeworth-moor, 
near Bolton, was preaching from the preceding text. He 
commented on the fear of death, which solemn subject had 
been suggested by the awfulness of the thunder-storm 
which then hung over the place. The preacher was sup- 
posing the possibility that, in this storm, some one or more 
present might be struck dead. The words had j ust escaped 
his lips, when the lightning broke upon the house, shat- 
tering or removing some of the materials of the building, 
and prodacing great consternation and disorder in the as- 
sembly. No serious injury, however, was done ; and, after 
some degree of composure was attained, the congregation 
sung, ' Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,' and 
prayed, as it may be supposed, with much devotional fer- 
vour. 

xlii. 10. — Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his 
praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to 
the sea, and all that is therein. 

A young sailor observed to a gentleman that he should 
never forget the thrill of joy that he felt during his last 
voyage. One night, or rather early in the morning, a 
fine star-light morning, as they were running down the 
trades, with the sea smooth as oil, more than two thousand 
miles from land, and at that time, as he thought, equally 
far from any vessel upon the vast Atlantic, he was startled 
from his monotonous pacing fore and aft upon the deck, by 
a sound like a burst of voices. He at first conceived it to 
be the dying echoes of a fired cannon, probably some ves- 
sel in distress. Again he heard it in loud and distinct 
sounds, and found, at length, it was the harmony of voices, 
singing, as he judged from the tune, one of the hymns used 
in the Bethel prayer-meetings. The voices evidently were 



ISAIAH XLV, 



339 



at a great distance, but, borne over the wide space of the 
water, reached in soft and pleasing music, and caused him 
to feel a joyful recollection of the song heard by the shep- 
herds, whilst watching their flocks by night in the fields 
of Bethlehem. When the morning opened upon them, an 
English ship was observed to the westward. ' Sir,' said 
he, 6 I can give you no idea of my gladness in anticipating 
that the day was coming, and now opened upon us like 
the morning, when every ship should be navigated by men 
fearing God, and working righteousness.' 

xliii, 7. — I have created him for my glory. 

Mr John Thomson, a pious merchant in Musselburgh, 
and father-in-law to the Eev. John Brown of Hadding- 
ton, used to relate, that in his eleventh year, when he 
was walking one Sabbath morning to public worship in 
the church of Abbotshall, he was arrested by the import- 
ance of the first question in the Shorter Catechism, 4 What 
is the chief end of Man ?' This led him into a train of 
inquiry, which was the means, in the hand of the Spirit of 
God, of making him acquainted with the present fallen 
and guilty state of man, and of the only method of reco- 
very through the mercy of God, by the righteousness of 
Carls:. 

xliv. 9. — They that make a graven image are all of 
them vanity ; and their delectable things shall not 
profit. 

One a ay. a missionary among the Gentoos took with 
him a little boy from the school, to a shady place, where 
many people were passing, and set him to read aloud. 
When some began to listen, he conversed with the boy 
about what he was reading. The subject was — the absur- 
dity of idolatry ; and a Brahmin in the crowd said. "My 
little fellow, why do you speak so lightly of the gods of 
your fathers ?' The boy replied in a loud voice, * Speak 
lightly of them ! Why, they have eyes, but they see not ; 
they have mouths, and speak not ; they have ears, and hear 
not : they are vanity and a lie ; and why not speak lightly 
; f them V The Brahmin walked away confounded. 

xlv. 22. — Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends 
of the earth ; for I am God, and there is none else. 
When the Eev. Andrew Fuller first visited Scotland, a 



340 



ISAIAH XL VIII. 



notoriously wicked and abandoned woman, seeing a num- 
ber of persons thronging the doors of a chapel, felt her 
curiosity awakened, and being informed that an English- 
man was to preach, she mingled with the crowd, and 
entered the place. Mr Fuller took the preceding passage 
for his text. 4 What then,' she exclaimed in her heart, 
* surely there is hope even for me ! Wretch as I am, I 
am not beyond the ends of the earth.' She listened with 
eager delight, while the good man proclaimed the free 
salvation of the Gospel. Hope sprung up in her heart, a 
hope which purified as well as comforted ; and the grace 
of God taught her to 4 deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, 
and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in the present 
world.' 

xlvi. 4. — Even to your old age, I am he. 

A friend conversing with the late Mr Brown of Had- 
dington, about a sermon which Mr B. had preached on 
these words, 4 Even to your old age, I am He,' he observed 
that he remembered discoursing on this text ; and then 
added, with a sort of cheerfulness, 4 I must say, that I 
never yet found God to break His word in this ; no, not- 
withstanding all the provocations which I have given 
Him.' 

xlvii. 1. — Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin 
daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground : there is no 
throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans. 

A medal was struck by Vespasian on the subjugation 
of the Jews : on the reverse is seen a palm-tree, and a 
woman sitting on the ground at the foot of it, with her 
head leaning on her arm, weeping ; and at her feet dif- 
ferent pieces of armour with this legend, 4 Judea capta' 
(taken). Thus was exactly fulfilled the saying of the 
same prophet, 4 And she, being desolate, shall sit upon 
the ground.' 

xlviii. 10. — I have chosen thee in the furnace of 
affliction. 

A young man, who lived on Rowley Common, Kent, 
and had been a very profligate character, while working 
as a mason, fell from a scaffolding twenty feet high, and 
was seriously injured. Both his legs were broken, and 
several of his ribs, and his spine was injured. He lay 



ISAIAH I.. 



341 



long on the bed of affliction, when lie was visited by a 
clergyman. He felt deep convictions of sin. but was 
ignorant of the way of salvation. This was explained to 
him : he received with eagerness the news of pardon 
through the atonement of Christ, and was enabled to com- 
mit his soul into the Eedeemer's hands. His nurse said, 
'When I went to him first, he was such an impatient, 
wicked-tempered man, that it was impossible to live with 
him ; but a gentleman came to read the Bible to him for 
some days, and after that he became like a child, so that it 
grieved my heart to leave him.' On his sick-bed he learned 
to read and write, and his efforts were blessed to the con- 
version of his sister. He died in peace. 

xlix. 23. — And kings shall be thy nursing fathers. 

Mr Leifchild was one of a deputation from the three 
denominations of Dissenting ministers in London, who 
waited on his late Majesty George IY. with an address 
on his accession to the throne, and were most graciously 
received. The address alluded to the happiness and pro- 
tection they enjoyed under the fostering care and paren- 
tal sway of his beloved and revered father, and expressed 
an humble but earnest hope that he would imitate his ex- 
ample, and follow his steps. After his Majesty had read 
the written answer, and before they took leave, one of the 
deputation said, they feared they had occasioned his Ma- 
jesty too much trouble : when the King said, 'You give 
me no trouble, my friends : I derive the most heartfelt 
satisfaction and pleasure from your excellent address. It 
will be the endeavour of my life to imitate the example 
of my beloved father ; and be assured, while I sway the 
sceptre of these realms, there shall not be the smallest 
bar to the freest religious toleration.' 

1. 6. — I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks 
to them that plucked off the hair : I hid not my face 
from shame and spitting. 

Mr Hanway, in his travels, has recorded a scene very 
much resembling that alluded to by the prophet: — 'A 
prisoner was brought, who had two large logs of wood 
fitted to the small of his leg. and rivetted together ; there 
was also a heavy triangular collar of wood about his neck. 
The General asked me if that man had taken my goods. 



342 



ISAIAH LIII. 



I told him I did not remember to have seen him before. 
He was questioned some time, and at length ordered to be 
beaten with sticks, which was performed by two soldiers 
with such severity as if they meant to kill him. The soldiers 
were then ordered to spit in his face, an indignity of great 
antiquity in the East. This, and the cutting of beards, 
which I shall hare occasion to mention, brought to my 
mind the sufferings recorded in the prophetical history of 
our Saviour, Isaiah L 6.' 

li. 7. — Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be 
ye afraid of their revilings. 

A poor man, who had heard the preaching of the Gos- 
pel, and to whom it had been greatly blessed, was the sub- 
ject of much profane jesting and ridicule among his fellow- 
workmen and neighbours. On being asked if these daily 
persecutions did not sometimes make him ready to give 
up his profession of attachment to Divine truth, he replied, 
4 Xo ! I recollect that our good minister once said in his 
sermon, that if we were so foolish as to permit such people 
to laugh us out of our religion, till at last we dropped into 
hell, they could not laugh us out again.' 

lii. 11. — Touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the 
midst of her ; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the 
Lord. 

A little girl, between four and five years of age, on her 
return from hearing a preacher whom she much loved, 
said to her mother, 1 Mother, I can tell you a little of Mr 
H.'s sermon. He said. " Touch not the unclean thing." ' 
Her mother, with a view to try if she understood the 
meaning of these words, replied, ; Then, if Mr H. said so, 
I hope you will take care not to touch things that are dirty 
in future.' The little girl smiled, and answered, 1 O 
mother, I know very well what he meant.' * What did 
he mean ?' said her mother. ' He meant 5/72, to be sure,' 
said the child ; 1 and it is all the same as if Mr H. had 
said, " You must not tell lies, nor do what your mother 
forbids you to do. nor play on Sunday, nor be cross, nor 
do any such things as these," mother. ' 

liii. 5. — He was wounded for our transgressions, he 
was bruised for our iniquities. 
The late Rev. William Shrubsole of Sheerness, one 



ISAIAH LYI. 



343 



holiday, casually took up a folio volume, written by Isaac 
Ambrose. He opened it. and began to read that part of 
it which treats of - Looking to Jesus.' as carrying on the 
work of man's salvation in His death. He was much 
affected at the relation of the sufferings of Christ, and 
sensibly interested at the inquiry which the author makes, 
— Who ~i':z the i r.5 :ns that :r:u^h: the Divide § □ . rei 
into so much distress ? ' I was convinced.' he said. k that 
I was deeply concerned in that horrid transaction ; and 
from this time I date the Lord first penetrated my dark 
mind with the dawn of heavenly light and salvation.' 

liv. 7, 8. — For a small moment have I forsaken thee ; 
but with great mercies will I gather thee. 

Mr "White, on the power of godliness, says. ; A precious 
holy man told me of a woman that was six years in deser- 
tion ; and. by God's providence, hearing Mr Rollock 
preach, she of a sudden fell down, overwhelmed with joy. 
crying out. •• O. He is come, whom my soul loveth V and 
so was carried home for dead : and for divers days after, 
she was filled with exceeding joys, and had such pious 
and singularly ravishing expressions, so fluently coming 
from her. that many came to hear the rare manifestations 
of God's grace in her ; and amongst the rest that went to 
hear, there was one that could write short-hand, who yet 
a great while stood so amazed at her expressions, that he 
could not write : at last, recovering himself, he wrote a 
whole sheet of paper ; which this minister read, and told 
me, that of all the expressions that ever he read in the 
book of martyrs, or elsewhere, he never read any so high 
as the lowest of them.' 

W. 6. — Seek ye the Lord while he may befonnd, call 
ye upon him while he is near. 

A young man. on whom sentence of death was passed, 
said, two days before his execution, ' I am afraid that 
nothing but the fear of death and hell makes me seek the 
Saviour now. and that I cannot expect to rind Him. 
The words, i; Seek ye the Lord while He may be found," 
trouble my mind very much, as they show me that there 
is a time when He may not be found.' 

Ivi 2.— Blessed is the man — that keepeth the Sab- 
bath from polluting it. 



314 



ISAIAH LTin. 



A gentleman who had been using the boat of Thomas 
Mann, a pious waterman on the Thames, asked him if he 
did not make seven days in a week ? ' No, Sir,' replied 
Thomas ; 1 1 hope I know better than to do that. That 
would be taking what does not belong to me. The 
Lord's day is not mine ; and therefore I never work on 
that day.' 

lvii. 15. — I dwell in the high and holy place, with 
him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to re- 
vive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart 
of the contrite ones. 

At one time, when Ebenezer and Ralph Erskine both 
preached on the Monday after the celebration of the 
Lord's Supper at Glasgow, the former delivered an excel- 
lent discourse with his accustomed animation and dignity, 
while the latter fell considerably short of his usual fluency 
and fervour. Shortly after the close of the worship, 
when the two brothers had an opportunity of conversing 
privately together, Ebenezer gently intimated to Ralph, 
that it appeared to him the sermon he had preached that 
day w T as not so substantial and interesting as usual ; on 
which Ralph made a reply to this effect : 1 True, brother ; 
but if my poor sermon humble me, perhaps I shall reap 
greater advantage from it, than you from your great 
sermon.' 

lviii. 1. — Cry aloud, spare not ; lift up thy voice like 
a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and 
the house of Jacob their sins. 

The energy of the Rev. Rowland Hill's manner at times, 
and the power of his voice, were almost overwhelming. 
Once, at Wotton, he was completely carried away by the 
impetuous rush of his feelings, and, raising himself to his 
full stature, he exclaimed, 'Because I am in earnest, men 
call me enthusiast ; but I am not ; mine are the words of 
truth and soberness. When I first came into this part of 
the country, I was walking on yonder hill ; I saw a gravel 
pit fall in, and bury three human beings alive. I lifted 
up my voice for help so loud, that I was heard in the town 
below, at a distance of a mile ; help came, and rescued 
two of the poor sufferers. No one called me an enthusiast 
then ; and when I see eternal destruction ready to fall 




I 




Pair :rf 



ISAIAH LX. 



345 



upon poor sinners, and about to entomb them irrecover- 
ably in an eternal mass of woe. and call aloud to them to 
escape, shall I be called an enthusiast now ? No, sinner. 
I am not an enthusiast in so doing ; I call on thee aloud 
to fly for refuge to the hope set before thee in the Gospel 
of J esus Christ/ 

lix. 21. — My words which I have put in thy mouth, 
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth 
of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed. 

Mr Philip Henry, in a sermon preached in 1659, men- 
tioned it as the practice of a worthy gentleman, that in 
renewing his leases, instead of making it a condition that 
his tenants should keep a hawk or a dog for him, he 
obliged them that they should keep a Bible in their houses 
for themselves, and should bring up their children to learn 
to read, and be catechised. 'This,' said the gentleman, 
i will be no charge to you. and it may oblige them to that 
which otherwise they would neglect.' 

lx. 20. — Thy sun shall no more go down ; neither 
shall thy moon withdraw itself ; for the Lord shall be 
thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning 
shall be ended. 

The narrator of the loss of the ; Kent' remarks, 4 Some 
of the soldiers near me having remarked that the sun was 
setting, I looked round, and never can I forget the feel- 
ings with which I regarded his declining rays. I had 
previously felt deeply impressed with the conviction that 
the ocean was to be my bed that night : and had, I ima- 
gined, sufficiently realized to my mind, both the last 
struggles and the consequences of death. But as I con- 
tinued solemnly watching the departing beams of the 
sun, the thought that it was really the very last I should 
ever behold, gradually expanded into reflections, the 
most tremendous in their import. It was not, I am per- 
suaded, either the retrospect of a most unprofitable life, 
or the direct fear of death, or of judgment, that occupied 
my mind at the period I allude to ; but a broad, illimitable 
view of eternity itself. I know not whither the thought 
would have hurried me, had I not speedily seized, as 
with the grasp of death, on some of those sweet promises 
of the Gospel, which give to an immortal existence its 



346 



ISAIAH LXII. 



only charms ; and that naturally enough led back my 
thoughts by means of the brilliant object before me, to 
the contemplation of that " blessed city, which hath no 
need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it ; for 
the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
light thereof." ' 

lxi. I. — The Lord hath anointed me to preach good 
tidings unto the meek: he hath sent nie to bind up the 
broken-hearted. 

During a time of great awakening in America, through 
the instrumentality of Mr Whitefield, Mr Rowland, a truly 
pious and eloquent man, being invited to preach in the 
Baptist church of Philadelphia, proclaimed the terrors of 
the Divine Law with such energy to those whose souls 
were already sinking under them, that not a few fainted 
away. His error, however, was publicly corrected by the 
Rev. Gilbert Tennent, who, standing at the foot of the 
pulpit, and seeing the effect produced on the assembly, 
interrupted and arrested the preacher by this address : 
' Brother Rowland, is there no balm in Gilead ? — is there 
no physician there ?' Mr Rowland, on this, immediately 
changed the tenor of his address, and sought to direct ro 
the Saviour those who were overwhelmed with a sense of 
their guilt. 

lxii. 6. — I have set watchmen upon thy walls, 0 Jeru- 
salem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night : 
ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence. 

' Those people.' says one, 1 are in the road to ruin, who 
say to their ministers, as the Jews did of old to their pro- 
phets — i; Prophesy not or what amounts to the same 
thing, " speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits." 
I well remember having read in an ancient author, the 
following remarkable and appropriate account: — " News 
came to a certain town, once and again, that the enemy 
was approaching ; but he did not then approach. Here- 
upon in anger the inhabitants enacted a law. that no man, 
on pain of death, should bring again such rumours, as the 
news of an enemy. Not long after, the enemy came, in- 
deed ; besieged, assaulted, and sacked the town, of the 
ruins of which nothing remained, but this proverbial epi- 
taph — Here once stood a town that was destroyed by silence."' 



ISAIAH LXVT. 



347 



lxiii. 16. — Doubtless thou art our Father. 

1 1 have been told of a good man. 5 says Air M. Henry, 
1 among whose experiences, which he kept a record of 
this, among other things, was fonnd after his death, that 
at such a time in secret prayer, his heart, at the beginning 
of the duty, was mnch enlarged, in giving to God those 
titles which are awful and tremendous, in calling Him 
the great, the mighty, and the terrible God ; but going on 
thus, he checked himself with this thought, " And why 
not my Father ? ; ' 5 

lxiv. 8. — We are the clay, and thou our potter. 

During the siege of Barcelona by the Spaniards and 
English in the war of the succession, in 1705. an affecting 
incident occurred, which is thus related by Captain Carle- 
ton in his memoirs. * I remember I saw an old officer, 
having his only son with him, a fine man abont twenty 
rears of age, going into the tent to dine. "Whilst they 
were at dinner, a shot from the Bastion of St Antonio 
took off the head of his son. The father immediately 
rose up, first looking down npon his headless child, and 
then lifting up his eyes to heaven, whilst the tears ran 
down his cheeks, only said, Uiy will be done.' 

lxv. 1. — I am fjund of them that sought me not. 

Mr Whitefield relates in one of his sermons, the con- 
version of a Mr Crane, who was afterwards appointed 
steward of the Orphan-House in Georgia. Being deter-* 
mined to spend an evening at the play-house, he went 
first to Drory-Lane. but the house being quite full, he re- 
solved to go to Covent- Garden ; having got thither, he 
found that house full also, so that he could not gain ad- 
mittance. He was determined, however, to get enter- 
tainment some way or other; and therefore set off to 
heai Air Whitefield. It pleased God to apply the sermon 
with power to his heart, and render it effectual to his 
conversion ; the reality of which appeared in the fruits 
of a holy life. 

lxvi. 23. — From one Sabbath to another, shall all 
flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. 

Mr Thomas Hawkes. a respectable and pions trades- 
man in London, when about to go to church one Lord's 



348 



JEREMIAH II. 



day, was sent for, to attend on a person of high rank, 
about some worldly affairs. Mr H. expressed his sur- 
prise to the groom, and asked him if he knew what day 
it was, and intimated that the message must certainly re- 
fer to the next day. The groom assured him that was 
not the case ; but that his master must see him imme- 
diately. He then desired the groom to present his duty 
to the distinguished personage, and to inform him that 
he always made a point of attending the worship of God 
on that day ; but that he would wait on the illustrious 
individual next morning ; which accordingly he did, and 
was received with wonted civility. 



JEREMIAH. 

Chap. i. ver. 8. — Be not afraid of their faces : for I 
am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. 

Mr Maurice, one of the Nonconformist ministers in 
Shropshire, experienced many remarkable deliverances 
in the providence of God, when in danger of being appre- 
hended by his enemies after his ejection. At one time, a 
constable found him preaching, and commanded him to 
desist ; but Mr Maurice, with great courage, charged him 
in the name of the Great God, whose message he was 
then delivering, to forbear molesting him, as he would 
answer it at the great day. The constable, awed by his 
solemn manner, sat down trembling, heard him patiently 
to the end of his discourse, and then quietly left him. 

ii. 26. — The thief is ashamed when he is found. 

Robert A , foreman to a respectable nurseryman at 

some distance from town, who had lived with his em- 
ployers ten years, and had a good character, one Satur- 
day night after applying for his wages, claimed pay for a 
young man up to that day, whom he had discharged some 
days before. His master said, looking him steadily in 
the face, 1 Robert, do you want to cheat me, by asking 
wages for a man that you discharged yourself eight days 
ago V He had no sooner said this, than the miserable 
conscience-stricken man's blood forsook his face, as if he 
had been stabbed to the heart. When his master saw 
him so much affected, he told him that he might still 



JEREMIAH Y. 



319 



labour as he had done, but that after such a manifestly 
dishonest attempt, his character, and the confidence in it, 
were gone for ever. On Monday, Robert made his ap- 
pearance, but was utterly an altered man. The agitation 
of his mind had reduced his body to the feebleness of an 
infant's. He took his spade and tried to use it, but in 
vain ; and it was with difficulty that he reached home. 
He went to bed immediately ; medical aid was procured, 
but to no purpose, and the poor fellow sunk under the 
sense of his degradation, and expired on Wednesday fore- 
noon! His neighbours who attended him, say, that a 
short time before he died, he declared, that the agony 
consequent on the loss of his character as an honest man, 
which he had for so many years maintained, was the sole 
cause of his death. 

iii. 15. — I will give you pastors according to mine 
heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and under- 
standing. 

The late Rev. Robert Hall of Bristol was once asked 
what he thought of a sermon which had been delivered by 
a proverbially fine preacher, which had seemed to excite 
a great sensation among the congregation : — 4 Very fine, 
Sir,' he replied, 4 but a man cannot feed upon flowers.' 

iv. 22. — They are sottish children, and they have 
none understanding : they are wise to do evil, but to 
do good they have no knowledge. 

A gay young fellow r , who piqued himself on the cha- 
racter of a libertine, w r as expatiating upon the qualifica- 
tions necessary to form a perfect and accomplished de- 
bauchee ; when, having finished his tirade, he turned to 
one of the company present, who seemed to receive this 
sally very gravely, and whom, therefore, he wished to in- 
sult, and asked his opinion. Not at all disconcerted at 
his insolence, the gentleman replied very dryly, 'It ap- 
pears to me, Sir, that you have omitted two of the most 
important and essential qualifications.' ' Indeed ! and 
pray what may they be?' 'An excessively weak head, 
and a thoroughly bad heart ' The rake was silent, and 
soon afterwards left the company. 

v. 22. — The Lord, which hath placed the sand for 
the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it 



350 



JEREMIAH VIII. 



cannot pass it : and though the waves thereof toss 
themselves, yet can they not prevail ; though they roar, 
yet can they not pass over it. 

Thomas Mann, a pious waterman on the Thames, being 
once employed to row a party of pleasure, one of the 
number, a young lady, proposed singing ' Kule Britannia,' 
when Mann remarked, that he had heard Mr Newton say, 
4 God rules the waves, not Britannia.' 

vi. 10. — The word of the Lord is unto them a re- 
proach : they have no delight in it. 

The Rev. John Elliot, styled the apostle of the In- 
dians, was once asked by a pious woman who was vexed 
with a wicked husband, and bad company frequently in 
festing her house on his account, what she should do ? 
' Take,' said he, 1 the Holy Bible into your hand when 
bad company comes in, and that will soon drive them out 
of the house.' 

vii. 9, 10. — Will ye steal, murder, and commit 
adultery, and swear falsely: And come and stand be- 
fore me in this house, which is called by my name. 

Two Greeks, notorious for their piracies and other 
crimes, were lately tried and condemned, and three days 
after executed. In the course of the trial, it appeared 
that the beef and anchovies, on board one of the English 
vessels which they pirated, were left untouched, and the 
circumstances under which they were left, appeared to the 
court so peculiar, that the culprits were asked the cause 
of it. They promptly answered, that it was at the time of 
the great fast when their church ate neither meat nor fish ! 
They appeared to be most hardened and abandoned 
wretches, enemies alike to their own and every other na- 
tion, and yet rigidly maintaining their religious character ; 
and while they were robbing, plundering, and murdering, 
and stealing the women and children of their countrymen, 
and selling them to the Turks, and committing other atro- 
cious deeds, they would have us understand that they 
were not so wicked as to taste meat or fish, when prohi- 
bited by the canons of their church ! 

viii. 9. — They have rejected the word of the Lord ; 
and what wisdom is in them ? 



JEREMIAH XII. 



351 



A gentleman was arguing with a deist on the absurdity 
of rejecting Christianity without examination. He owned 
that he never knew a person examine the subject, who did 
not afterwards embrace it : but excused himself from ex- 
amining, under the plea that to do so was analogous to 
drinking brandy which always produced intoxication. ' Is 
it not honourable to Christianity,' says the gentleman, 
4 to have enemies, who must give up the exercise of their 
reason before they reject it?' 

ix. 23. — Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. 
In 1201, Simon Tournay, after he had excelled all his 

contemporaries at Oxford, in learning, and became so 
eminent at Paris as to be made the chief doctor of the 
Sorbonne, grew so proud, that while he regarded Aristotle 
as superior to Moses and Christ, he considered him as but 
equal to himself! He became such an idiot at length, as 
not to know one letter in a book, or one thing he had 
ever done. 

x. 25. — Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that 
know thee not, and upon the families that call not on 
thy name. 

A credible historian informs us, that about one hundred 
and fifty years ago, there was an earthquake in Switzer- 
land, by which part of a mountain was thrown down, 
which fell upon a village that stood under it, and crushed 
every house and inhabitant to atoms, except the corner 
of one cottage, where the master of the house, with his 
family, were together praying unto God. 

xi. 19. — Let us cut him off from the land of the 
living. 

4 You take a life from me that I cannot keep,' said one 
of the martyrs to his persecutors, 4 and bestow a life upon 
me that I cannot lose ; which is as if you should rob me 
of counters, and furnish me with gold.' 

xii. 5. — How wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? 
The Rev. Richard Hooker, just before his death, said, 

1 1 have lived to see that this world is made up of pertur- 
bations ; and I have been long preparing to leave it, and 
gathering comfort for the dreadful hour of making my 
account with God, which I now apprehend to be near ; 



852 



JEREMIAH X1Y. 



and though I have, by His grace, loved Him in my youth, 
and feared Him in my age, and laboured to have a con- 
science void of offence to Him and to all men ; yet if 
Thou, Lord, shouldst be extreme to mark what I have 
done amiss, who can abide it ? And, therefore, where I 
have failed, Lord, show mercy to me ; for I plead not my 
righteousness, but the forgiveness of my unrighteousness, 
for His merits, who died to purchase a pardon for penitent 
sinners/ 

xiii. 17. — But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall 
weep in secret places for your pride. 

A gay, dissipated young man, went one day to his pious 
mother, and said, i Mother, let me have my best clothes, 
I am going to a ball to-night.' She expostulated with 
him, and urged him not to go, by every argument in her 
power. He answered, 1 Mother, let me have my clothes, 
I will go, and it is useless to say anything about it.' She 
brought his clothes ; he put them on, and was going out. 
She stopped him, and said, 1 My child, do not go.' He 
said he would ; she then said to him, ' My son, while you 
are dancing with your gay companions in the ball-room, 
I shall be out in that wilderness praying to the Lord to 
convert your soul.' He went ; the ball commenced ; but 
instead of the usual gaiety, an unaccountable gloom per- 
vaded the whole assembly. One said, ' We never had 
such a dull meeting in our lives ;' another, ' 1 wish we had 
not come, we have no life, we cannot get along ;' a third, 
' I cannot think what is the matter.' The young man in- 
stantly burst into tears, and said, 4 1 know what is the 
matter ; my poor old mother is now praying in yonder 
wilderness for her ungodly son.' He took his hat, and 
said, ' I will never be found in such a place as this again,' 
and left the company. To be short, the Lord converted 
his soul. He became a member of the church — was soon 
after taken ill — and died happy. 

xiv. 22. — Are there any among the vanities of the 
Gentiles that can cause rain ? or can the heavens give 
showers ? Art thou not he, O Lord our God ? there- 
fore we will wait upon thee : for thou hast made all 
these things. 

A youth in the South Sea Islands, called Joseph Banks, 



JEREMIAH XVII. 



353 



after Sir Joseph Banks, Captain Cook's companion, had 
been much abroad, and was a shrewd observer of all that 
came under his notice. One day, when he was disputing 
against the superstitions of his country, a priest affirmed 
that, if the maraes, or temples, were forsaken, there would 
be no rain, and everything would be burnt up. He re- 
plied, i In England and America there are no idols, no 
tabus, yet there is plenty of rain there, and fine crops too. 
In Tahiti and Huahine they have broken the tabus, and 
destroyed the idols, and worship the God of the white men, 
yet the rain falls there, and the fruits grow as abundantly 
as ever. And why should not rain fall, and the ground 
produce food here as well as elsewhere, when these sense- 
less things are done away ?' The priest was confounded. 

xv. 16. — Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing 
of mine heart. 

4 1 have many books,' says Mr Newton, 'that I cannot 
sit down to read ; they are indeed good and sound, but, 
like halfpence, there goes a great quantity to a little 
amount. There are silver books, and a very few golden 
books ; but I have one book worth more than all, called 
the Bible, and that is a book of bank-notes.' 

xvi. 19. — 0 Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and 
my refuge in the day of affliction. 

1 A few years ago,' says one, 4 when an invasion of this 
country by the French was much talked of, the late pious 

Mrs C of L , heard her pupils relating to each 

other, where they thought they would conceal themselves 
on the approach of the enemy, should his threats be real- 
ised. With her usual gentleness and condescension, she 
inquired into, and listened to their little plans. I was the 
last to point out my hiding-place ; having named mine, I 
added an inquiry where her refuge would be ? " My refuge," 
said she, with a look of devotion and benignity character- 
istic of her, " My refuge would be in my God." I felt 
reproved : I could not but think hers was the best refuge.' 

xvii. 27. — But if ye will not hearken unto me to hal- 
low the Sabbath-day, then will I kindle a fire in the 
gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jeru- 
salem ; and it shall not be quenched. 

A few years ago, a person possessing a piece of land in 

z 



354 



JEREMIAH XIX. 



one of the States of America, who was so situated that he 
could labour upon it without exposing himself to public 
view, determined to spend his Sabbaths in bringing it un- 
der cultivation. Accordingly he cleaned and burnt it over 
on the Sabbath. He ploughed and sowed it on the Sab- 
hath. The produce was a fine crop of wheat, which he 
reaped on the Sabbath ; and deposited the produce, on 
the Sabbath, in a large and valuable saw-mill which stood 
upon the premises. But mark the justice of God ; the 
very next Sabbath the whole was consumed by lightning. 

xviii. 12. — They said, There is no hope ; but we will 
walk after our own devices, and we will every one do 
the imagination of his evil heart. 

A young woman, whom Dr Gifford visited in prison, 
and who was to be tried for her life, heard him speak a 
good while in an awful strain, not only unmoved, but at 
last she laughed in his face. He then altered his tone, 
and spoke of the love of Jesus, and the mercy provided 
for chief sinners, till the tears came in her eyes, and she 
interrupted him by asking, ' Why ; do you think there can 
be mercy for me?' He said, 'Undoubtedly, if you can 
desire it.' She replied, ' Ah ! if I had thought so, I 
should not have been here ; I have long fixed it in my 
mind that I was absolutely lost, and without hope, and 
this persuasion made me obstinate in my wickedness, so 
that I cared not what I did.' She was afterwards tried, 
and sentenced to transportation, and Dr Gifford, who saw 
her several times, had a good hope that she was truly con- 
verted before she left England. 

xix. 4. — They have filled this place with the blood of 
innocents. 

Mr Ellis informs us, that during the year 1829, Mr 
Williams, late missionary to the South Sea Islands, had 
one day sitting in his room three females, the eldest not 
more than forty years of age. The subject of the murder 
of infants was introduced, and he remarked that perhaps 
some of them had been guilty of the crime. On inquiry, 
these females reluctantly confessed that they had de- 
stroyed not fewer than twenty-one infants ! One had 
murdered nine, another seven, and the other five. Nor 
did it appear that these women had been more guilty than 
their neighbours. 



JEREMIAH XXII. 



355 



xx. 9. — Then I said, I will not make mention of him, 
nor speak any more in his name. 

The late Mr Clark of Trowbridge, one Sabbath after- 
noon, said to his wife, ' My dear, I can never preach 
again ; I have told my people all I have to say.' She said, 
c But yon will disappoint the people, and whom can we 
engage for to-night ?' He still urged that he should be 
unable to say anything, when a woman was introduced, 
who said she had come a long way to beg Mr Clark to 
preach from- this text, 4 Then I said, I will not make men- 
tion of Him, nor speak any more in His name : but His 
word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my 
bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not 
stay.' He saw the finger of God in it, and preached from 
that text in the evening, and was never after at any loss. 

xxi. 6. — I will smite the inhabitants of this city, 
and they shall die of a great pestilence. 

In a letter, dated August 30, 1830, the Eev. William 
Glen gives the following account of the ravages of the 
cholera in Astrachan : — ' In general, business of every 
kind was at a stand. The bank suspended its opera- 
tions. In the bazaars not a whisper was to be heard, and 
scarcely a face to be seen ; even the public houses were 
abandoned, and a general gloom was spread over the 
countenances of the few solitary individuals that were to 
be seen walking through the streets. According to the 
best authenticated accounts, when the disease was at its 
height, the number of funerals on one particular day was 
five hundred, and on another day four hundred and eighty. 
More than one thousand were buried about that time in a 
large pit, for want of graves, which could not be dug so 
fast as required, nor at a rate the poor could afford to pay 
for them. Such a time we have never seen, nor do I sup- 
pose that such a time was ever seen in Astrachan.' 

xxii. SO. — Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man 
childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days : for 
no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne 
of David, and ruling any more in Judah. 

The Rev. Mr Douglas, an eminently pious minister in 
Edinburgh, had usually the subjects of his discourses so 
forcibly impressed on his mind, that he seldom or never 



356 



JEREMIAH XXIY. 



had any anxiety in choosing a text. Having been ap- 
pointed to preach at the coronation of Charles II. at 
Scone, the above passage was suggested to him as a text. 
The good man was troubled what to do. To preach from 
it would bring down the vengeance of the Court — to reject 
it, would perhaps expose him to Divine chastisement. 
After much anxious and painful deliberation, he resolved 
to choose another, as much suited to the occasion as pos- 
sible. The text he selected was 2 Kings xi. 12 — 'And he 
brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon 
him, and gave him the testimony ; and they made him 
king, and anointed him ; and they clapped their hands, 
and said, God save the king.' It is remarkable that, dur- 
ing the remainder of his life, he laboured under great diffi- 
culty in choosing the subject of his discourses ; the wonted 
aid from above appearing to be witheld, as a correction 
for his sin, in resisting convictions of duty, from the fear 
of man that bringeth a snare. 

xxiii. 32. — I sent them not, nor commanded them ; 
therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith 
the Lord. 

When two or three gentlemen, in company with the late 
Rev. Robert Hall of Bristol, were discussing the question 
— Whether a man of no religion can be a successful mini- 
ster of the Gospel ? — surprise was expressed that Mr Hall 
remained silent. 4 Sir,' said he in reply, 'I would not 
deny that a sermon from a bad man may sometimes do 
good ; but the general question does not admit of an 
argument. Is it at all probable that he who is a willing 
servant of Satan, will fight against him with all his might? 
and, if not, what success can be rationally expected?' 

xxiv. 5. — Them that are carried away captive of 
Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the 
land of the Chaldeans for their good. 

A missionary in the West Indies, passing one day 
through the school-room, observed a little boy engaged in 
prayer, and overheard him saying, 1 0 Lord Jesus, I thank 
Thee for sending big ship into my country, and wicked men 
to steal me, and bring me here that I might hear about 
Thee, and love Thee ; and now, Lord Jesus, I have one 
great favour to ask Thee, please to send wicked men with 



JEREMIAH XXV. 



357 



another big ship, and. let them catch my father and my 
mother, and bring them to this country, that they may 
hear the missionaries preach, and love Thee.' The mis- 
sionary in a few days after saw him standing on the sea- 
shore, looking very intently as the ships came in. i "What 
are yon looking at, Tom ?' 1 I am looking to see if Jesus 
Christ answer prayer.' For two years he was to be seen 
day after day. watching the arrival of every ship. One 
day. as the missionary was viewing him, he observed him 
capering about, and exhibiting the liveliest joy. i Well, 
Tom, what occasions so much joy?' '0, Jesus Christ 
answer prayer — father and mother come in that ship ;' 
which was actually the case. 

xxv. 10. — I will take from them the voice of mirth, 
and the voice of gladness. 

Air Wroth, a Nonconformist divine, who lived in the 
earlier part of the seventeenth century, is described as 
haviDg been, previous to his conversion, c a clergyman 
much addicted to mirth, levity, and music' The follow- 
ing affecting incident was blessed as a means of produc- 
ing a happy change in his temper and conduct. A gentle- 
man in the neighbourhood having a suit at law depending, 
of great importance to his family, went to London to 
attend the trial ; which, to his great satisfaction, proved 
in his favour. Sending home the pleasing information, 
his family and friends were overcome with transports of 
joy. The gentleman, therefore, appointed a certain day 
when he would return, and ordered great preparations to 
be made for his arrival, when the evening should be spent 
in feasting and mirth. Mr Wroth, being invited, brought 
a new violin, to bear his part in the general triumph. But 
while they were in full expectation of the gentleman's 
arrival, behold ! to their unspeakable mortification and 
distress, news came that he had been seized by death upon 
the road. It is not easy to conceive what impressions 
were made on the minds of all present. The transition 
from triumphant joy to the deepest sorrow and anguish, 
was almost indescribable. Amidst the general consterna- 
tion, Mr Wroth cast away his violin, and falling on his 
knees in the midst of the company, most fervently prayed 
for the blessing of God upon this alarming providence. 
He became from this time a changed man, of which he gave 
full proof by his faithful ministry and exemplary life. 



358 



JEREMIAH XXVII. 



xxvi. 2. — Speak unto all the cities of Judab, which 
come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that 
I command thee to speak unto them ; diminish not a 
word. 

The Eev. J. Brewer's (of Birmingham) manner of ex- 
pounding the Scriptures was very instructive and useful ; 
and his general style of preaching was that which, by way 
of distinction and eminence, has been called scriptural, be- 
cause it embodies so large a portion of the sentiment and 
language of holy writ. This peculiar character of his 
preaching, Mr Brewer attributed, in a great degree, to a 
remark of the Rev. Edmund Jones, a minister in Wales, 
who, after hearing his young friend preach, said to him 
when he came down from the pulpit, 4 Young man, I love 
to hear the sound of Scripture in a sermon.' It was a 
word in season, and he never forgot it. ' It did me more 
good,' said Mr Brewer, ' than all my studies.' 

xxvii. 9. — Hearken not ye to your sorcerers. 

4 Of the power of this superstition (sorcery),' says Mr 
Stewart in his J ournal, 1 we had a proof in a native of our 
own household. A thief was put to flight from our yard 
one day, while we were at dinner. A lad joined in the 
chase, and seized the culprit, but lost his hold by the tear- 
ing of his kichei, or outer garment. The thief was greatly 
exasperated, and immediately engaged a sorcerer to pray 
the boy to death. Information of this reached the lad in 
the course of the afternoon ; and we soon perceived him 
to be troubled by the intelligence, though he attempted 
with us to ridicule the superstition. The next morning 
he did not make his appearance with the other boys ; and 
upon inquiring from them, they said he was sick. We 
asked the nature of this sickness ; to which it was replied, 
that " he was sick from the prayer of sorcery, perhaps." 
We found him lying in one corner of his house, pale with 
fear, and trembling like an aspen leaf, and discovered 
that he had not slept during the night ; we were satisfied 
that the whole arose from terror ; and compelled him, not- 
withstanding his declarations that he was sick, to come 
from his retreat, diverted his mind, set him at work, and 
before noon he was as full of life and spirits as ever, 
laughed at his fears, and began to defy the power of the 
" sorcerer's prayer." ' 



JEREMIAH XXX. 



359 



xxviii. 16. — This year thou shalt die. 

■ An intimate friend of President Davies of Xew- Jersey- 
College, told him a few days before the beginning of the 
year in which he died, that a sermon on the first day of it 
would be expected from him ; mentioning, that it was 
President 'Bnrr's custom to do so ; and that on the new- 
year's day preceding his death, he preached from Jer. 
xxviii. 16, 'Thus saith the Lord, This year thou shalt 
die ;' which the people afterwards had regarded as premo- 
nitory. When the first of January came, Mr Davies 
preached from the same text ; and being seized with his 
last illness soon after, said, he had been led to preach, as 
it were, his own funeral sermon. Mr Davies often re- 
ferred to this remarkable circumstance on his death -bed. 

xxix. 12, 13. — Ye shall go and pray unto me, and I 
will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and 
find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

A person, in addressing some children on the subject 
of prayer, described its importance and advantages ; 
and explained the difference betwen praying and saying 
prayers. A boy in the first class, whose attention had 
been arrested by the subject, was powerfully affected by 
the impressive manner in which this duty was urged upon 
the children. He reflected, that though he had daily been 
in the habit of saying his prayers, yet he then felt con- 
vinced that he never prayed as he ought to have done. 
He left the school under a deep concern for his soul's wel- 
fare, and on reaching home retired to a private apartment 
in the house, and sought the Lord in prayer with his 
whole heart. He did not seek in vain. He obtained 
mercy through the blood of Christ. He joined in church- 
fellowship, became a useful teacher in a school, and has 
continued to adorn the doctrine of the Saviour by a be- 
coming conversation. 

xxx. 19. — I will multiply them, and they shall not be 
few ; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be 
small. 

The following is an extract from a 'Narrative of the 
State of Religion within the bounds of the Presbyterian 
Church in the United States of America, and Corres- 
ponding Churches, May 1832 : — 



3G0 



JEREMIAH XXXI. 



1 It is our delightful privilege to report, that sixty-eight 
presbyteries have been blessed with the special influences 
of the Holy Spirit, reviving the churches, and bringing 
perishing sinners to the saving knowledge of the truth. 
In these highly favoured presbyteries, about seven hun- 
dred congregations are reported as having been thus 
visited in rich mercy. In many of these places, thus re- 
freshed by the showers of Divine grace, the displays of 
the power of the Gospel have been glorious, almost be- 
yond example. Several presbyteries have had their 
whole territory pervaded by a heavenly influence, and 
every congregation has become a harvest-field for the in- 
gathering of souls to the field of the Good Shepherd. 
These bodies send us the animating message, that all. or 
nearly all, their churches have enjoyed a precious season 
of revival. " Xever." says the report from West Hano- 
ver, il have we had the privilege of recording so many 
signal triumphs of Almighty grace. The angel having 
the everlasting Gospel in His hand, has passed through 
our borders, and has brought salvation to almost every 
house. So powerful and extensive has been the Divine 
influence among us. that one district is known where not 
one adult could be found, unconcerned upon the subject 
of religion. On some occasions a whole congregation, 
without one exception, have been prostrated before God, 
anxiously inquiring for salvation. Eighteen of our con- 
gregations have been revived, and in one of them three 
hundred hopeful conversions have taken place." ' 

xxxi. 15. — A voice was heard in Raman, lamenta- 
tion, and bitter weeping: Rachel weeping for her 
children, refused to be comforted for her children, be- 
cause they were not. 

One day, while the lady of Sir Stamford Raffles was 
almost overwhelmed with grief for the loss of a favourite 
child, unable to bear the sight of her other children — un- 
able to bear even the light of day — humbled upon heT 
couch with a feeling of misery, she was addressed by a 
poor, ignorant, uninstructed native woman, of the lowest 
class, who had been employed about the nursery, in terms 
of reproach not to be forgotten. 1 1 am come because you 
have been here many days shut up in a dark room, and 
no one dares to come near you. Are you not ashamed to 



JEREMIAH XXXIII. 



361 



grieve in this manner, when you ought to be thanking 
God for having given you the most beautiful child that 
ever was seen ? Did any one ever see him, or speak of 
him, without admiring him ? And instead of letting this 
child continue in this world till he should be worn out 
with trouble and sorrow, has not God taken him to heaven 
in all his beauty ? What would you have more ? For 
shame ! — leave off weeping, and let me open a window.' 

xxxii. 19.— Great in counsel, and mighty in work. 

A person at dinner with Mr ZSTewton of London, re- 
marked, that the East India Company had overset the 
college at Calcutta. ' TS'hat a pity I' said a gentleman 
present. ' No,' said Mr N., 1 no pity — it must do good. 
If you had a plan in view, and could hinder opposition, 
would you not prevent it ?' — 1 Yes, Sir.' — ' Well, God 
can hinder all opposition to His plans : He has permitted 
that to take place, but He will carry on His own plan. I 
am learning to see God in all things ; I believe not a per- 
son knocks at my door but is sent by God.' 

xxxiii. 16. — The Lord our Righteousness. 

1 If it be shameful to renounce error,' says Mr Hervey, 
1 and sacrifice all to truth, I do very willingly take this 
shame to myself, in a copy of verses which I formerly 
wrote, sacred to the memory of a generous benefactor. 
I remember the following lines : — 

" Our wants relieved by thy indulgent care 
Shall give thee courage at the dreadful bar, 
And stud the crown thou shalt for ever wear." 

These lines, in whatever hands they are lodged, and what- 
ever else of a like kind may have dropt from my pen, I 
now publicly disclaim ; they are the very reverse of my 
present belief, in which I hope to persevere as long as I 
have any being. Far be it from me to suppose that any 
work of mine should, in order to create my peace, or che- 
rish my confidence, be coupled with Christ's most holy 
acts. I speak the words of our church, and I speak the 
sense of the prophet, "I will trust, and not be afraid;" 
wherefore ? because I am inherently holy ? rather God is 
my salvation ; God manifest in the flesh has finished my 
transgression, and made an end of my sin ; and in this 
most magnificent work will I rejoice. — " Thy Maker is thy 



362 



JEREMIAH XXXY. 



husband :" the consequence of which is, all thy debts and 
deficiencies are upon Him, all His consummate righteous- 
ness is upon thee.' 

xxxiv. 9. — That every man should let his man- 
servant, and every man his maid-servant, being an 
Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free. 

After Dr Hopkins of North America had become im- 
pressed with the sinfulness of slavery, he did much, in his 
intercourse with his brethren, to awaken their attention 
to the subject, and to convince them of their obligations 
to discountenance that enormity. Visiting at the house of 
Dr Bellamy of Connecticut, who was at that time the 
owner of a slave, he, with his wonted candour, pressed the 
subject upon the attention of his friend. Dr B. endea- 
voured to defend the practice by the usual arguments ; 
but Dr H. having successfully refuted them, called upon 
him immediately to free his slave. In answer to this de- 
mand, it was urged that the slave was a most faithful and 
judicious servant ; that in his management of the doctor's 
farm he could be trusted with everything ; and that he 
was so happy in his servitude, that he would, in the 
opinion of his master, refuse his freedom, were it ottered 
to him. ' Will you consent to his liberation,' said Dr 
Hopkins, ' if he really desires it ?' — 'Yes,' replied Dr B., 
' I will.' The slave was then at work in the field. ' Call 
him,' said Dr H., * and let us try.' The slave came to re- 
ceive, as he supposed, the commands of his master. 
' Have you a good master?' said Dr Hopkins, addressing 
the slave. 'O yes, massa ; he very good.' 'Are you 
happy in your present condition?' — 'O yes, massa; me 
very happy.' 'Would you be more happy if you were 
free ?' — ' O yes, massa ; me would be much more happy.' 
' You have your desire,' exclaimed Dr Bellamy; 'from 
this moment you are free.' 

xxxv. 6. — We will drink no wine : for Jonadab the 
son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, Ye 
shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever. 

Among a few individuals who lately met at a Christmas 
supper in a public-house, there happened to be a trades- 
man who belonged to the Temperance Society. His un- 
principled companions thought it too good an opportunity 



JEREMIAH XXXVII. 



303 



to be lost of working the fall of the poor man, and of in- 
juring the general cause of temperance. They accordingly 
made use of every artifice in order to induce him to drink 
the poisonous cup, though without success, when the land- 
lady, who had been acquainted with the proceeding, im- 
mediately stepped between them, and declared that, as he 
had joined the Temperance Society, no one should give him 
one drop of whisky in her house, but that if he chose he 
might have ale or porter. The poor man, being thus 
supported, took courage ; but wisely considering that it 
was unsafe for him to take even ale or porter in such com- 
pany, went home after supper, without drinking anything, 
to the grievous mortification and disappointment of his 
drunken companions. 

xxxvi. 23. — The king cut it with the pen-knife, and 
cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the 
roll was consumed. 

A few years ago, a party of men, muffled up in great- 
coats, entered the house of an unoffending Protestant in 
Edgeworthstown ; and after having placed a guard on a 
female who was the only inmate of the house at the time, 
they proceeded to search the rooms till they found a 
large Bible, which they carried out, and tore into a 
thousand fragments in an adjoining ditch. A man who 
seemed the principal of the party, stood at the door, and 
gave orders to the others not to meddle with anything 
but the thing which they came for. The violence of their 
animosity was exhibited by trampling the leaves of the 
Bible in the mire. 

xxxvii. 18. — What have I offended against thee, or 
against thy servants, or against this people, that ye 
have put me in prison ? 

Mr Wigginton, a Puritan minister, wrote to a certain 
nobleman, soliciting him to use his utmost endeavours to 
obtain his deliverance from such cruel usage. In this 
letter, dated from the White-Lion, June 1, 1586, he ex- 
pressed himself as follows : — ' I desire you to make known 
my lamentable case to her Majesty's honourable Privy 
Council, or to her Majesty herself, that the cause of my 
imprisonment may be examined, and that I may be de- 
livered from this hard usage. For I desire justice, and 



364 



JEREMIAH XLI. 



not mercy, being conscious of my own innocency. My 
old adversary the archbishop (Whitgift) hath treated me 
more like a Turk or a dog, than a man, or a minister of 
Jesus Christ. I heartily commend you to God.' 

xxxviii. 6. — They took Jeremiah, and cast him into 
the dungeon. 

One of the witnesses of the truth, when imprisoned for 
conscience sake in Queen Mary's persecution of the 
Church, is said to have thus written to a friend: — 'A 
prisoner for Christ! What is this for a poor worm? 
Such honour have not all His saints. Both the degrees 
which I took in the University, have not set me so high 
as the honour of becoming a prisoner of the Lord.' 

xxxix. 17. — I will deliver thee in that day, saith the 
Lord ; and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the 
men of whom thou art afraid. 

Augustine, going on one occasion to preach at a distant 
town, took with him a guide to direct him in the way. 
The man, by some unaccountable means, mistook the 
usual road, and fell into a bye-path. It afterwards proved, 
that by this means his life had been saved, as some of the 
Donatists, who were his enemies, had way-laid him, with 
the design of killing him. 

xl. 14. — Dost thou certainly know that Baalis, the 
king of the Ammonites, hath sent Ishmael to slay 
thee ? But Gedaliah believed them not. 

The Regent Murray, who was assassinated by Hamilton 
of Bothwellhaugh, in 1570, had got information, we are 
told, the same day on which the murder was committed, 
respecting the assassin, and the place where he was con- 
cealed. He accordingly resolved to proceed to Edinburgh 
on the road which skirts the outside of the town of 
Linlithgow ; but perceiving the gate through which he 
intended to pass blockaded by a crowd, he turned the 
other way, through the principal street, where the as- 
sassin, with a musket, took his fatal aim from a window. 
The Good Regent died in the evening of the same day, 
while the murderer, having a horse in readiness, effected 
his escape. 

xli. 8. — Ten men were found among them that said 



JEREMIAH XLIII. 



3G5 



unto Ishmael, Slay us not ; for we have treasures in 
the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of 
honey. 

Dr Shaw informs us, that in Barbary, when the grain 
is winnowed, they lodged it in mattamores, or subter- 
ranean repositories ; tw r o or three hundred of which are 
sometimes together, the smallest holding four hundred 
bushels. These are very common in other parts of the 
East, and are in particular mentioned by Dr Russell, as 
being in great numbers near Aleppo, about the villages. 
A method similar to this is used in the Holy Land. Le 
Bruyn speaks of deep pits at Rama, which he was told 
were designed for corn ; and Rauwolf mentions three 
very large vaults at Joppa, which were used for the pur- 
pose of laying up grain wiien he visited that place. The 
treasures of wheat, etc., might be laid up by these ten 
men in the same kind of repositories. 

xlii. 20. — Ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye 
sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us 
unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that 
the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we 
will do it. 

A woman once came to the Rev. Mr Kilpin of Exeter, 
with a long preface on the duty and privilege of having 
the opinion of a minister on the important subject of 
marriage. She told her tale, and sought advice. Mr 
Kilpin guessed how matters stood, and unexpectedly in- 
quired if the day for her marriage was not fixed for Tues- 
day ? 4 0 no, Sir,' she hastily replied, ' not until Thurs- 
day.' This gave him an opportunity of pointing out the 
sin of persons treating the great and blessed God in some- 
what the same manner, seeking direction on a subject, 
clearly stated in His Word, with a determination to act as 
their own feelings and desires dictated, let the voice of 
God, in His Word or Providence, be what it might. 

xliii. 10. — Nebuchadnezzar shall spread his royal 
pavilion over them. 

' While we were employed on the theatre of Miletus,' 
says Dr Chandler in his "travels, ' the Aga of Suki, son- 
in-law to Elez-Oglu (a Turkish officer of high rank), 



366 



JEREMIAH XLY. 



crossed the plain towards us, attended by a considerable 
train of domestics and officers, their vests and turbans of 
various and lively colours, mounted on long-tailed horses, 
with showy trappings and glittering furniture. He re- 
turned, after hawking, to Miletus ; and we went to visit 
him, with a present of coffee and sugar ; but were told 
that two favourite birds had flown away, and that he was 
vexed and tired. A couch was prepared for him beneath 
a shed, made against a cottage, and covered with green 
boughs to keep off the sun. He entered, as we were 
standing by, and fell down on it to sleep, without taking 
any notice of us.' 

xliv. 18. — Since we left off to burn incense to the 
queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto 
her, we have wanted all things, and have been con- 
sumed by the sword and by the famine. 

A Hindoo who had renounced idolatry, was soon after 
suddenly afflicted, upon which many of his heathen ac- 
quaintances came to see him, and said, ' This sickness, 
without doubt, is sent to punish you, because you have 
forsaken Swamy (the idol), and have destroyed your pa- 
goda; we therefore advise you to renounce Christianity, 
and again to worship Swamy, and you will soon recover.' 
He said to them, ' The great God whom I now worship 
made all things ; therefore, He alone is able to restore 
me to health. I do not fear the devil's anger, for with- 
out Divine permission he cannot accomplish anything; 
and if my present sickness should be the means of my 
death, I will die trusting in Christ.' After which he re- 
monstrated with them on the folly and sin of worshipping 
idols, and they departed. He recovered, and is giving 
evidence of being a sincere follower of Christ. 

xlv. 5. — Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek 
them not. 

Sir Henry Wotton, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 
who had great honours conferred on him, on account of 
his near relation to the Queen's great favourite, Robert 
Earl of Essex, was very intimate with the Duke of 
Tuscany, and with J ames, then King of Scotland (and 
afterwards of England), and had been sent on several 
embassies to Holland, Germany, and Venice : after all, he 



JEREMIAH XL VII. 



367 



desired to retire with this motto, ' That he had learned 
ac length, that the soul grew wiser by retirement,' and 
consequently, that a man was more happy in a private 
situation, than it was possible for him to be with those 
worldly honours which were accompanied with so many 
troubles. In short, the utmost of his aim in this life, for 
the future, was to be Provost of Eton, that there he 
might enjoy his beloved study and devotion. He was 
afterwards heard to say, that the day on which he put on 
his surplice, was the happiest day of his whole life ; it 
being the utmost happiness a man can attain here, to be 
at leisure, to be and to do good. This great man never 
reflected on his former years, but he would weep, and 
say, ' How much time have I to repent of ! and how little 
to do it in !' 

xlvi. 18. — Tabor is among the mountains. 

'The view from Mount Tabor,' says Dr Russell, ' is 
extolled by every traveller. Maundrell remarks, "it is 
impossible for man's eyes to behold a higher gratification 
of this nature." On the north-west you discern in the 
distance the noble expanse of the Mediterranean, while 
all around you see the spacious and beautiful Plains of 
Esdraelon and Galilee. Turning a little southward, you 
have in view the high mountains of Gilboa, so fatal to 
Saul and his sons. Due east, you discover the Sea of 
Tiberias, distant about one day's journey. A few points 
to the north appears the Mount of Beatitudes, the place 
where Christ delivered His sermon to His disciples and 
the multitude. Not far from this little hill is the city of 
Saphet, or SzafFad, standing upon elevated and very con- 
spicuous ground. Still farther, in the same direction, is 
seen a lofty peak covered with snow, a part of the chain 
of Anti-Libanus. To the south-west is Carmel, and in 
the south the hills of Samaria.' 

xlvii. 5. — How long wilt thou cut thyself? 

' We often read,' says Harmer, c of people cutting them- 
selves in Holy Writ, when in great anguish ; but we are 
not commonly told what part they wounded. The modern 
Arabs, it seems, gash their arms, which with them are 
often bare. It appears from a passage of Jeremiah, the 
ancients wounded themselves in the same part. Chap, 
xlviii. 37, " Every head shall be bald, and every beard 



368 



JEREMIAH L. 



clipped ; upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon 
the loins sackcloth." ' 

xlviii. 38. — I have broken Moab like a vessel where- 
in is no pleasure, saith the Lord. 

The Moabites had, in succession, the monarchs of Israel, 
Babylon, Persia, Greece, Syria, and Egypt, and the Ro- 
mans, all as their enemies, who brought them to destruc- 
tion. They now no longer exist ; their country is a heap 
of wild ruins, showing enough of their ancient grandeur 
to remind us what they once were ; and the rude tribes 
of Bedouin Arabs now dwell in it, living in tents. 

xlix. 11. — Leave thy fatherless children, I will pre- 
serve them alive ; and let thy widows trust in me. 

4 A friend of mine,' says Mr Newton, 1 in the west of 
England (a faithful laborious minister, but who, I believe, 
never was master of five pounds at one time), was dying. 
His friends advised him to make his will ; he replied, ' I 
have nothing to leave but my wife and children, and I 
leave them to the care of my gracious God.' Soon after 
this he died happily. But there appeared no prospect of 
support for his family at this time. The Lord, however, 
stirred up a man who had always despised his preaching, 
to feel for the deceased minister's poor destitute family ; 
and he so exerted himself, that he was the means of 
£1600 being raised by subscriptions for them; and the 
clergy of Exeter, who had never countenanced his preach- 
ings, gave her a house and garden during her life, so that 
she lived in far greater plenty than in her husband's life- 
time.' 

1. 38. — A drought is upon her waters ; and they shall 
be dried up : for it is the land of graven images, and 
they are mad upon their idols. 

Cyrus having subdued the lesser Asia, as likewise Syria 
and Arabia, entered Assyria, and bent his march towards 
Babylon. The siege of this important place was no easy 
enterprise. The walls were of a prodigious height, the 
number of men to defend them very great, and the city 
stored with all sorts of provisions for twenty years. How- 
ever, these difficulties did not discourage Cyrus from pro- 
secuting his design ; who, after spending two entire years 



JEREMIAH LII. 



3C9 



before the place, became master of it by stratagem. Upon 
a festival night, which the Babylonians were accustomed 
to spend in drinking and debauchery, he ordered the bank 
of the canal, above the city, leading to the great lake, that 
had been lately dug by Nitocris, to be broken down ; and 
having thus diverted the course of the river, by turning 
the whole current into the lake, he caused his troops to 
march in by the bed of the river, who now penetrated into 
the heart of the city without opposition, surprised the 
guards of the palace, and cut them to pieces. The 
taking of Babylon put an end to the Babylonian empire, 
and fulfilled the predictions which the prophets Isaiah, 
Jeremiah, and Daniel, had uttered against that proud 
metropolis. 

li. 17. — Every founder is confounded by the graven 
image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is 
no breath in them. 

1 In the monastery at Isenach,' says Luther, 4 stands an 
image which I have seen. When a wealthy person came 
hither to pray to it (it was Mary with her child), the 
child turned away his face from the sinner to the mother ; 
but if the sinner gave liberally to that monastery, then 
the child turned to him again ; and if he promised to give 
more, then the child showed itself very friendly and lov- 
ing, and stretched out its arms over him in the form of a 
cross. But this picture and image was made hollow with- 
in, and prepared with locks, lines, and screws ; and be- 
hind it stood a knave to move them — and so were the 
people mocked and deceived, who took it to be a miracle 
wrought by Divine Providence V 

Hi. 16. — Nebuzar-adan, the captain of the guard, 
left certain of the poor of the land for vine-dressers, 
and for husbandmen. 

The Rev. John Frederic Oberlin was distinguished by 
his charity and benevolence, and though scarcely a men- 
dicant was ever seen in the valley of the Ban de la Roche, 
where he resided, sometimes a pauper from the neigh- 
bouring communes, attracted by the well-known disposi- 
tion of the pastor and his people, wandered thither to 
implore that assistance which, if deserving, he never 
failed to receive. 4 Why do you not work ?' was Oberlin's 



370 



LAMENTATIONS II. 



usual interrogation. 'Because no one will employ me,' 
was the general reply. i Well, then, I will employ you. 
There — carry these planks — break those stones — fill that 
bucket with water, and I will repay you for your trouble.' 
Such was his usual mode of proceeding ; and idle beg- 
gars were taught to come there no more. 



LAMENTATIONS. 

Chap. i. ver. 7. — The adversaries did mock at her 
Sabbaths. 

The late Mr Meikle, surgeon in Camwath, being on 
some business at Edinburgh, which detained him to the 
end of the week, and not finding himself so comfortably 
lodged as he could have desired, he rose early on Sabbath 
morning, and went out to the Meadows, that he might get 
an opportunity for devotional exercises. As he was sitting 
in the arbour, a young gentleman happened to come in, 
and by his singing and conversation, discovered a con- 
tempt for the Sabbath. Mr Meikle said to him, 4 My 
good Sir, I am just thinking on the fourth commandment, 
can you help me out with it ?' — ' Indeed, Sir,' said the 
gentleman, ' I cannot.' — ' Oh,' said Mr M., ' 1 have it : 
"Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy."' The 
young gentleman felt the reproof, and retired, leaving Mr 
Meikle to proceed with his devotions. 

ii. 16. — All thine enemies have opened their mouth 
against thee. 

One morning, as a minister, in one of the north-easterly 
cantons of France, was employed in his study, he heard a 
great noise in the village in which he resided. Rushing 
out, he perceived a foreigner, whom almost the whole 
population were loading with abusive and threatening 
language. ' A Jew! a Jew !' resounded on all sides, as 
the minister forced his way through the crowd ; and it 
was with difficulty that he could obtain silence. As soon, 
however, as he could make himself heard, he rebuked them 
with great warmth for having proved themselves un- 
worthy the name of Christians, by treating the unfortu- 
nate stranger in so cruel a manner. He added, that, if 
this poor man wanted the name of a Christian, they wanted 
the spirit of Christians. 



LAMENTATIONS V. 



371 



iii. 39. — Wherefore doth a living man complain, a 
man for the punishment of his sins ? 

The Duke of Conde, when in poverty and retirement, 
was one day observed and pitied by a lord of Italy, who, 
out of tenderness, wished him to take better care of him- 
self. The good duke answered, £ Sir, be not troubled ; 
and think not that I am ill provided of conveniences ; 
for I send a messenger before me, who makes ready my 
lodgings, and takes care that I be royally entertained.' 
The noble lord asked him who was his messenger? He 
replied, 'The knowledge of myself; and the thoughts of 
what I deserve for my sins, which is eternal torments ; 
and when, with this knowledge, I arrive at my lodging, 
how unprovided soever I find it, methinks it is better than 
I deserve ; and as the sense of sin, which merits hell, 
sweetens present difficulties, so do the hopes of the 
heavenly kingdom.' 

iv. 3. — Even the sea-monsters draw out the breast, 
they give suck to their young ones. 

The natural affection of animals appears in the follow- 
ing instance. A whale and her young one had got into 
an arm of the sea, where the tide nearly left them. The 
people on the shore beheld their situation, and came down 
upon them in boats, attacking them with such weapons 
as could be hastily collected. The animals were soon 
severely wounded, and the sea covered with their blood. 
After several attempts to escape, the old one forced her 
way over the shallow into deep water. But though in 
safety herself, she could not bear the danger that threat- 
ened her young one ; she therefore rushed once more to 
the place where it was confined, and appeared resolved, 
if she could not protect, to share its danger. As the tide 
was then running in, both the creatures made their escape, 
though not without receiving a great number of wounds 
in every part. 

v. 8. — Servants have ruled over us; there is none 
that doth deliver us out of their hand. 

' In visiting one of the gardens, for which Eosetta, in 
Egypt, is famous,' says Jowett, in his Christian Researches, 
4 we had a singular specimen of the effect of oppression. 
Seeing fine fruit on every side, but finding the oranges to 



372 



EZEKIEL II. 



be of the sour kind, we asked the gardener for some that 
were sweet. He at first denied that he had any. Our 
guide told us to show him money. At the sight of this, 
he produced some delicious oranges. As we peeled them, 
and ate, he gathered up the peel, and buried it in the 
earth, in order that soldiers coming into his garden might 
not see the trace of sweet oranges, and compel him to 
give them some.' 



EZEKIEL. 

Chap. i. ver. 10. — They four had the face of a man, 
and the face of a lion on the right side ; and they four 
had the face of an ox on the left side ; they four also 
had the face of an eagle. 

The Rev. William Wilson of Perth, and some of his 
friends, were, on one occasion, enjoying themselves with 
some innocent pleasantry, by proposing severally to what 
they might compare the Four Brethren, with whom the 
Secession in Scotland originated. Different comparisons 
were suggested. When it came to Mr Wilson's turn, he 
did not see anything they could be better compared to 
than the four living creatures in Ezekiel's vision. ' Our 
brother, Mr Erskine,' said he, ' has the face of a man. 
Our friend, Mr MoncriefF, has the face of a lion. Our 
neighbour, Mr Fisher, has the face of an eagle. And as 
for myself, I think you will all own that I may claim to 
be the ox ; for, as you know, the laborious part of the 
business falls to my share.' 

ii. 7. — Thou shalt speak my words unto them, 
whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. 

The late Dr Ritchie, Professor of Divinity in the Uni- 
versity of Edinburgh, was one day preaching in Tarbolton 
church, where he was at that time minister, against pro- 
fane swearing in common conversation, while one of his 
principal heritors who was addicted to that sin was pre- 
sent. This gentleman thought the sermon was designedly 
addressed to him, and that the eyes of the whole congre- 
gation were fixed upon him. Though he felt indignant, 
he kept his place till the service was concluded, and then 
waited on the preacher, and asked him to dine with him, 
as he was quite alone. The invitation being accepted, the 



EZEKIEL IV. 



373 



gentleman immediately after dinner thus addressed the 
minister: — £ Sir, yon have insulted me to-day in the 
church. I have been three times in church lately, and on 
every one of them you have been holding me up to the 
derision of the audience ; so I tell you, Sir, I shall never 
more enter the church of Tarbolton again, unless you give 
me your solemn promise, that you will abstain from such 
topics in future, as I am resolved I shall no more furnish 
you with the theme of your discourse.' Dr Ritchie heard 
this speech to a conclusion with calmness, and then look- 
ing him stedfastly in the face, thus replied, 'Very well, 
Sir, if you took to yourself what I said to-day against 
swearing, does not your conscience bear witness to its 
truth ? You say you will not enter the church till I cease 
to reprove your sins ; if such is your determination, it is 
impossible you can enter it again ; for which of the com- 
mandments have you not broken ? 5 On observing his 
firmness, and feeling that he was wrong in attempting to 
make the minister of the parish compromise his duty, 
the gentleman held out his hand to Dr Ritchie ; a mutual 
explanation took place ; and while the minister would 
abate none of his faithfulness, the heritor endeavoured to 
overcome his evil habits. 

iii. 26. — I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of 
thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be 
to them a reprover. 

The Rev. William Tennant, formerly a very eminent 
minister of the Gospel in New England, once took much 
pains to prepare a sermon to convince a celebrated infidel. 
But, in attempting to deliver this laboured discourse, Mr 
T. was so confused, that he was obliged to stop, and close 
the service by prayer. This unexpected failure in one who 
had so often astonished the unbeliever with the force of his 
eloquence, led the infidel to reflect that Mr T. had been at 
other times aided by a divine power. This reflection proved 
the means of his conversion. Thus God accomplished by 
silence, what His servant meant to effect by persuasive 
preaching. Mr Tennant used afterwards to say, 4 His 
dumb sermon was the most profitable sermon that he had 
ever delivered.' 

iv. 6. — Thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of 



374 



EZEKIEL VII. 



Jndah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for 
a year. 

Usher, afterwards Archbishop of Armagh, was very 
zealous against the Roman Catholics, and averse to 
tolerating them. He once preached before the officers of 
the Irish government, from the preceding text. In the 
course of his sermon, he made an application of the 
passage which was remarkable. 'From this year (1601),' 
said he, 1 1 reckon forty years ; and then those whom 
you now embrace shall be your ruin, and you shall bear 
their iniquity/ The apparent accomplishment of this 
prediction in the Irish rebellion of 1641, was a singular 
occurrence ; and, in the opinion of many, perhaps in his 
own, was regarded as an indication of his prophetic 
spirit. 

v. 1. — Take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to 
pass upon thine head, and upon thy beard. 

The Mohammedans have a very great respect for their 
beards, and think it criminal to shave. ' Conversing one 
day with a Turk,' says Dr Clarke, ' who was playing with 
his beard, I asked him, " Why do you not cut off your 
beard as we Europeans do ?" To which he replied, with 
great emotion, "Cut off my beard! — Why should I? — 
God forbid!"' 

vi. 9. — They shall loathe themselves for the evils 
they have committed. 

The Rev. Ralph Erskine, when rebuking a person be- 
fore the congregation for some scandalous offence, said, — 
4 Think upon the case you are in, and meditate on the 
misery you have exposed yourself unto ; for God will deal 
with you either in mercy or in wrath. If He deal with 
you in mercy, then you will surely find more bitterness 
in sin than ever you found pleasure in it ; and if He deal 
with you in wrath, you will find sin, like a mountain of 
lead, weighing you down to the bottom of hell for ever. 
The Lord make you wise to salvation, that you may flee 
from the wrath to come.' 

vii. 19. — Their silver and their gold shall not be 
able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the 
Lord. 



EZEKIEL IX. 



375 



Mr Jeremiah Burroughs, a pious minister, mentions the 
case of a rich man, who, when he lay on his sick-bed, 
called for his bags of money ; and having laid a bag of 
gold to his heart, after a little he bade them take it away, 
saying, 'It will not do ! it will not clo !' 

viii. 14. — He brought me to the door of the Lord's 
house which was toward the north ; and, behold, there 
sat women weeping for Tammuz. 

The ancient Greeks, we are informed, used to place their 
dead near the doors of their houses, and to attend them 
with mourning. The same custom still continues among 
the modern Greeks, and might, perhaps, be observed by 
the ancient Jews. Dr Richard Chandler, when travelling 
in Greece, observed, at Megara, a woman sitting, with the 
door of her cottage open, lamenting her dead husband 
aloud ; and when at Zante, he saw a woman in a house 
with the door open, bewailing her little son, whose body 
lay beside her dressed, the hair powdered, the face painted, 
and bedecked with leaf-gold. 

ix. 6. — Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and 
little children, and women ; but come not near any man 
upon whom is the mark. 

Beza, a little before his death, declared to his Christian 
friends, that the Lord had fulfilled to him all the promises 
contained in the Ninety-first Psalm, which he heard ex- 
pounded, when a young man, in the church. As he had 
been enabled to close with the second verse, in taking the 
Lord for his God, and got a sure claim that He would be 
his 'refuge and fortress,' so he had found remarkably, in 
the after changes of his life, that the Lord had i delivered 
him from the snare of the fowler,' for he had been in fre- 
quent hazard by the lying in wait of many to ensnare him ; 
and from the ' noisome pestilence,' for he was sometimes 
in great hazard from it, in those places where he was 
called to reside. Amidst the civil wars in Trance, he had 
most signal deliverances from many imminent dangers, 
when he was called to be present sometimes with the 
Protestant princes upon the field, where 1 thousands did 
fall about him.' On his death-bed, he found that psalm 
so observably verified, on which he was caused to hope, 
that he went through all the promises in it, declaring the 



376 



EZEKIEL XI. 



comfortable accomplishment of them, how he had found 
the ' Lord giving His angels charge over him, often an- 
swering him when he called on Him ; how He had been 
with him in trouble, had delivered him, and had satisfied 
him with long life.' ' And now,' says he, 4 1 have no 
more to wait for, but the fulfilling of these last words of 
the psalm — " I will show him My salvation," — which, with 
confidence, I wait for.' 

x. 18. — The glory of the Lord departed from off the 
threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 

It appears from the Eev. H. Lindsay's interesting letter 
to the Bible Society in 1816, in which he gives an account 
of his visit to the Seven Churches of Asia, that even in 
those places where the light of the Gospel first shone, the 
inhabitants were not only destitute of the Bible, but they 
had also no distinct idea of the books it contained. 
They mentioned them indiscriminately, with various idle 
legends and lives of saints. Leaving Smyrna, the first 
place Mr Lindsay visited was Ephesus. 4 1 found there,' 
says he, ' but three Christians ; two brothers, who keep a 
shop, and a gardener. They are all three Greeks, and 
their ignorance is lamentable indeed. In that place 
which was blessed so long with an apostle's labours, and 
those of his zealous assistants, are Christians, who have 
not so much as heard of that apostle, or seem only to 
recognise the name of Paul as one in the calendar of 
their saints.' 

xi. 19. — I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, 
and will give them an heart of flesh. 

The holiest and best men have been usually the most 
ready to acknowledge the natural depravity of their hearts, 
and the greatness of their obligations to the free and 
sovereign grace of God, in preserving or delivering them 
from the consequences of that depravity. — During the 
ministry of the Eev. Balph Erskine at Dunfermline, a 
man was executed for robbery, whom he repeatedly visited 
in prison, and whom he attended on the scaffold. Mr 
Erskine addressed both the spectators and the criminal ; 
and, after concluding his speech, he laid his hands on his 
breast, uttering these words : — ' But for restraining grace, 
I had been brought, by this corrupt heart, to the same 
condition with this unhappy man.' 



EZEK1EL XIII. 



377 



xii. 16. — I will leave a few men of them from the 
sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence. 

A new chapel having been erected at Mauke, one of 
the South Sea islands, Mr Williams, the missionary, ac- 
companied by the principal chief, went an hour or two 
before the service commenced at its opening. After com- 
mending his diligence, Mr W. said to him, ' How came 
you to build so large a place? There are not people 
enough in your island to fill it.' ' Instead of answering 
me,' says Mr W., ' he hung down his head, and appeared 
much affected. I asked him why he wept ; observing 
that it was with us rather a day of joy than sorrow, for 
we were about to dedicate this house to God. " Oh," he 
replied, " I weep in consequence of what you say, that there 
are not people enough in the island to fill this one house ; 
if you had but come about three years before you first 
visited us, this house and another like it would not have 
contained the inhabitants." On inquiring what had be- 
come of the people, he informed me, that about three 
years prior to my first arrival, a disease had raged among 
them, which, though not very fatal, was nearly universal. 
This was accompanied by a famine, the result of a severe 
storm, which swept over and devastated the island ; and, 
while enduring these complicated sufferings, the warriors 
of Atice came upon them in a fleet of eighty canoes, 
killed the people indiscriminately, set fire to the houses 
which contained the sick, and having seized those who 
attempted to escape, tossed them upon fires kindled for 
the purpose. " By these means," said the chief, " we have 
been reduced to the remnant you now behold ; and had 
you not come when you did, our sanguinary destroyers 
w^ould have repeated their visits, killed us all, and taken 
the island to themselves." ' It is pleasing to add, that the 
chief who conducted this murderous expedition was after- 
wards converted to Christianity, and was the first person 
who invited them to receive the Gospel of peace, and 
among the very first who united in commemorating the 
Saviour's death. 

xiii. 3. — Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow 
their own spirit, and have seen nothing. 

In a letter to a friend, Mr Hervey says, £ Warburton 
has published two volumes of sermons, in which it seems, 



378 



HZEKLEL XV. 



he has decried experimental religion, disregarded the 
peculiarities of the Gospel, and treated the operations of 
the Spirit as mere enthusiasm. If this be the effect of 
his great learning, then, good Lord, deliver us all, say 
I, from such an attainment ! If you either have or can 
borrow them, just let me peep on them. Don't buy 
them to gratify me ; I can relish nothing but what is 
evangelical.' 

xiv. 10. — They shall bear the punishment of their 

iniquity. 

1 1 have read of King Canute,' says an excellent minis- 
ter, c that he promised to make him the highest man in 
England who should kill King Edmund his rival ; which, 
when he had performed, and expected his reward, he 
commanded him to be hung on the highest tower in Lon- 
don. So Satan promises great things to people in pursuit 
of their lusts, but he puts them off with great mischief. 
The promised crown turns to a halter ; the promised com- 
fort to a torment ; the promised honour into shame ; the 
promised consolation into desolation : and the promised 
heaven turns into a hell.' 

xv. 7. — I will set my face against the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem; they shall go out from one fire, and another 
fire shall devour them. 

1 There was. ; says Josephus. 'one Jesus, son of Ana- 
nias, a countryman of mean birth, four years before the 
war against the Jews, at a time when all was in deep 
peace and tranquillity, who, coming up to the feast of 
tabernacles, according to the custom, began on a sudden 
to cry out, and say. " A voice from the east, a voice from 
the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against 
Jerusalem and the temple, a voice against bridegrooms 
and brides, a voice against all the people." Thus he went 
about all the narrow lanes, crying night and day : and 
being apprehended and scourged, he still continued the 
same language under the blows without any other word. 
And they, upon this, supposing (as it was) that it was some 
divine motion, brought him to the Roman prefect: and, 
by his appointment, being wounded by whips and the 
flesh torn to the bones, he neither entreated, nor shed a 
tear ; but to every blow, in a most lamentable, mournful 



EZEKIEL XYII. 



379 



note, cried out, " Woe, woe to Jerusalem." This tie con- 
tinued to do till the time of the siege, seven years to- 
gether ; and, at last, to his extraordinary note of woe to 
the city, the people, the temple, adding " Woe also to 
me," a stone from the battlements fell down upon him 
and killed him.' 

xvi. 2. — Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her 
abominations. 

Mr Stock, a Puritan divine, having in his younger years 
preached at Paul's cross, he spoke with considerable free- 
dom against the iniquities of the city ; which some per- 
sons took so ill, that they charged him with rashness, and 
called him green-head. Towards the close of life, having 
to preach at the election of the Lord Mayor, he particu- 
larly enlarged upon the same topic and said, that a grey- 
head now spoke the same things that a green-head had 
formerly done. 

xvii. 3. — A great eagle with great wings came unto 
Lebanon. 

The infant of a Swiss peasant in the Canton du Yaud, 
was one day left by his mother with two older brothers, 
one of whom was an idiot, and the other dumb. She had 
scarcely left them, when they strayed away from their 
little dwelling to play among the rocks. Eeturning home 
the mother could not find them, but after a short search, 
she discovered the two elder children, but the infant was 
nowhere to be seen. On the same day, however, that the 
accident took place, a huntsman had stationed himself in 
ambuscade, near an eagle's nest, to wait for a shot at the 
bird, as he approached his eyrie. After having watched 
for some hours with that characteristic patience which 
distinguishes the Swiss hunter, he at length perceived one 
of these monarchs of the Alps approaching slowly to- 
wards the rocks, appearing twice as large as an ordinary 
eagle. The hunter's surprise was extreme when, on a 
nearer approach, he saw that the bird carried a child in 
his talons. He heard its cries, and clearly distinguished 
its face. He had but one course to adopt, nor did he 
hesitate to employ it, that of shooting the eagle. He put 
up a prayer to God, took aim at the bird, and fired. The 
shot took effect, and the eagle fell dead, shot through 
the head. The hunter recovered the child, and carried 



380 



EZEKIEL XX. 



it home tc the unhappy mother. The boy was much 
torn by the eagle's talons, but none of his wounds were 
mortal. 

xviii. 10. — If he beget a son that is a robber, a 
shedder of blood. 

A boy in London, of thirteen years of age, having been 
left at home one day with a servant, while his parents 
were gone out, took an opportunity to rob a drawer of a 
considerable quantity of silver. His father, next day, 
detected the theft, and reproved him for such shameful 
conduct, when the wretched boy obtaining possession of 
a loaded pistol belonging to his father, put a period to his 
life with it ; in consequence of which his body was ordered 
to be buried in the public street. He was of a very mo- 
rose disposition, and disobedient to his parents. 

xix. 8, 9. — The nations set against him on every 
side from the provinces, and spread their net over him : 
he was taken in their pit. And they put him in ward 
in chains. 

Bonaparte, after a career of conquest and blood, was 
completely subdued by the combined powers of Russia, 
Prussia, Austria, and Britain. After the decisive battle 
of Waterloo, he retreated with precipitation to Paris ; but 
being followed by the allies, he quitted that capital, and 
went to Rochefort, where vessels were prepared to carry 
him and his attendants to America. The British govern- 
ment, however, informed of his plan, blockaded this part 
of the French coast so effectually, that he found himself 
compelled to surrender to Captain Maitland of the 4 Bel- 
lerophon,' the commander of the blockading squadron. In 
this ship he was brought to the coast of England, but not 
suffered to land; and about the middle of August 1815, 
he sailed with part of his suite, in the 4 Northumberland,' 
to the Island of St Helena, where he was kept a prisoner 
at large during the remainder of his life. He died 5th 
May 1821. 

xx. 21. — They polluted my Sabbaths : then I said, I 
would pour out my fury upon them. 

Some time ago, W. P , a lad who had formerly at- 
tended a Sabbath school, engaged to go with some com- 



EZEKIEL XXIII. 



381 



panions a-fishing on a Lord's day. Though it rained very 
hard, and he was desired not to go, yet, bent on pursuing 
his own course, he went notwithstanding. They came to 
the river, where they agreed to stop, and they began their 
unhallowed sport, and continued for some time, not 
thinking of any danger, when W. P , wishing to ob- 
tain a better place, tried to jump from the spot where he 
stood to another ; but, in doing so, his foot slipped, he 
struck his head against a barge, and fell into the river ; 
and, after being sought for some time, was found, and 
taken out a lifeless corpse. Let Sabbath breakers take 
warning by this young man's unhappy end. The way of 
transgressors is hard. 

xxi. 21.— The king of Babylon stood at the parting 
of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divina- 
tion ; he made his arrows bright. 

Delia Yella relates the following method of divination 
by arrows. 'He saw at Aleppo a Mohammedan, who 
caused two persons to sit upon the ground, one opposite 
to the other, and gave them four arrows into their hands, 
which both ot them held with their points downwards, 
and, as it were, in two right lines, united one to the other. 
Then a question being put to him about any business, he 
fell to murmur his enchantments, and thereby caused the 
said four arrows, of their own accord, to unite their points 
together in the midst (though he that held them stirred 
not his hand), and according to the future event of the 
matter, those of the right side were placed over those of 
the left, or on the contrary.' This practice Delia Vella 
refers to diabolical influence. 

xxii. 8. — Thou hast despised mine holy things, and 
hast profaned my Sabbaths. 

The following fact, communicated by a respectable 
merchant of New York, is well worthy of notice : — ' I 
have particularly observed,' says the gentleman, 'that 
those merchants in New York who have kept their count- 
ing-rooms open on the Sabbath day, during my residence 
there (twenty-five years), have failed without excep- 
tion.' 

xxiii. 38. — They have defiled my sanctuary in the 
same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths. 



382 



EZEKIEL XXY. 



In the church-yard of Devises, is a monument with the 
following inscription : — 

' In memory 
of the unfortunate end of 
Robert Merrit, and Susannah, his wife ; Elizabeth Tiley 
her sister ; Martha Carter, and J oseph Derham ; 
Who were all drowned in the flower of their youth, 
In a pond near the town call Drews, 
On Sunday the 30th June ; 
And are together underneath entombed.' 

On another part of the stone is added — 

* Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 
This Monument, as an awful monitor to young people, 
To remember their Creator in the days of their youth, 
Was erected by subscription.' 

xxiv. 18. — So I spake unto the people in the morn- 
ing ; and at even my wife died. 

Mr Matthew Henry's first wife was seized with the 
small-pox, when in child-bed, and died. Mr Tong, the 
writer of his life, though living at a distance of eighteen 
miles, immediately visited the sorrowing family. The 
first words Mr Henry spoke to him on this occasion, with 
many tears, were, ' I know nothing could support me 
under such a loss as this, but the good hope I have that 
she is gone to heaven, and that in a little time I shall 
follow her thither.' 

xxv. 7. — I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and 
will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen ; and I will 
cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to 
perish out of the countries. 

Chateaubriand, the Erench traveller, speaking of the 
range of mountains that extend from north to south, east 
of the Jordan, together with the contiguous country, says, 
4 Nothing is to be seen but black perpendicular rocks, 
which throw their lengthened shadow over the waters of 
the Dead Sea. The smallest bird of heaven would not 
find among the rocks a blade of grass for its sustenance ; 
everything there announces the country of a reprobate 
people, and seems to breathe the horror and incest whence 
sprung Ammon and Moab.' 



EZEKIEL XXVIII. 



383 



xxvi. 14. — I will make thee like the top of a rock : 
thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon. 

' The famous Heutius,' says Bishop Newton in his Dis- 
sertations, ' knew one Hadrianus Parvillerius, a Jesuit, a 
very candid man, and a master of Arabic, who resided ten 
years in Syria; and he remembers to have heard him 
sometimes say, that when he approached the ruins of 
Tyre, and beheld the rocks stretched forth to the sea, and 
the great stones scattered up and down on the shore, made 
clean and smooth by the sun, and waves, and winds, and 
useful only for the drying of fishermen's nets, many of 
wmich happened at that time to be spread thereon, it 
brought to his memory this prophecy of Ezekiel concern- 
ing Tyre, — " I will make thee like the top of a rock : 
thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon : thou shalt be 
built no more ; for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the 
Lord God.'" 

xxvii. 32. — They shall lament over thee, saying, 
What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst 
of the sea ? 

Mr Maundrell, in his ' J ourney from Aleppo to Jeru- 
salem,' describing Tyre, says, 1 This city, standing in the 
sea upon a peninsula, promises at a distance something 
very magnificent. But when you come to it, you find no 
similitude of that glory for w r hich it w r as so renowmed in 
ancient times, and w r hich the Prophet Ezekiel describes. 
On the north side it has an old Turkish ungarrisoned 
castle ; besides which, you see nothing here but a mere 
Babel of broken walls, pillars, vaults, etc., there being not 
so much as one entire house left. Its present inhabitants 
are only a few poor wretches* harbouring themselves in 
the vaults, and subsisting chiefly upon fishing, w r ho seem 
to be preserved in this place by Divine Providence, as a 
visible argument how God has fulfilled His word concern- 
ing Tyre, viz., that " it should be as the top of a rock, a 
place for fishers to dry their nets on." ' 

xxviii. 5. — By thy great wisdom, and by thy traffic, 
hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted 
up because of thy riches. 

In the strait between Johor and Ehio, there is a small 
white rock, called the ' White Stone,' very little elevated 



384 



EZEKIEL XXX. 



above the water, and so exactly in the centre of the pas- 
sage, that many vessels, unacquainted with it, have been 
wrecked upon it. A Portuguese merchant passing this 
strait, in a vessel of his own, richly laden with gold, and 
other valuable commodities, asked the pilot when this 
rock would be passed ; but each moment appearing to him 
long until he was secure from the danger, he repeated his 
question so often, that the pilot impatiently told him the 
rock was passed. The merchant, transported with joy, 
impiously exclaimed, that ' God could not now make him 
poor/ But in a little while, the vessel struck on the 
"White Stone, and all his wealth was engulphed in the 
abyss : life alone remained, to make him feel his misery 
and his punishment. 

xxix. 3. — Pharaoh hath said, My river is mine own, 
and I have made it for myself. 

When the force of the current had carried away the 
temporary bridge which Xerxes had caused to be thrown 
over the Hellespont, on his grand expedition into Greece, 
he was so enraged, that he not only ordered the heads of 
the workmen to be struck off, but, like a madman, in- 
flicted lashes upon the sea, to punish it for its insolence ; 
he moreover, affected to hold it in future under his con- 
trol, by throwing fetters into it ! ' A striking proof,' add3 
the historian, 1 how much the possession of despotic power 
tends not only to corrupt the heart, but even to weaken 
and blind the understanding.' 

xxx. 13. — I will also destroy the idols, and I will 
cause their images to cease. 

One day, while Mr Wilson was teaching the people of 
Eaiatea, a South Sea island, an old man stood up, and 
exclaimed, ' My forefathers worshipped Oro, the god of 
war, and so have I ; nor shall anything you can say per- 
suade me to forsake this way. And,' continued he, ad- 
dressing the missionary, 'what do you want more than 
you have already ? Have you not won over such a chief, 
and such a chief? — aye, and you have Pomare himself! 
— what want you more ?' 4 All — all the people of Raia- 
tea, and you yourself, I want !' replied Mr Wilson. c ISTo, 
no,' cried the old man ; ' me ! — you shall never have me, 
I will do as my fathers have done — I will worship Oro i 
you shall never have me, I assure you.' Yet, within six 



EZEKIEL XXXTTT. 



385 



months from that time, this staunch, inflexible, inveterate 
adherent of the bloody superstition of Oro (the Moloch 
of the Pacific), abandoned his idol, and became a wor- 
shipper of the true God. 

xxxi. 14. — They are all delivered unto death, to the 
nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children 
of men, with them that go down to the pit. 

A Sultan amusing himself with walking, observed a 
dervise sitting with a human skull in his lap, and appear- 
ing to be in a profound reverie. His attitude and man- 
ner surprised the Sultan, who demanded the cause of his 
being so deeply engaged in reflection. ' Sire,' said the 
dervise, 1 this skull was presented to me this morning, and 
I have from that moment been endeavouring, in vain, to 
discover whether it is the skull of a powerful monarch, 
like your Majesty, or of a poor dervise like myself.'— A 
humbling consideration truly. 

k Earth's highest station ends in — Here he lies ; 
And dust to dust concludes her noblest song.' 

xxxii. 25. — Though their terror was caused in the 
land of the living, yet they have borne their shame with 
them that go down to the pit : he is put in the midst of 
them that be slain. 

Philip, King of Macedon, as he was wrestling at the 
Olympic games, fell down in the sand ; and, when he rose 
again, observing the print of his body in the sand, cried 
out, ' O how little a parcel of earth will hold us, when we 
are dead, who are ambitiously seeking after the whole 
world whilst we are living !' 

xxxiii. 10. — If our transgressions and our sins be 
upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we 
then live ? 

A minister of the Gospel, when preaching from the pre- 
ceding text, said, ; I knew a poor widow who had got into 
a little debt that was a burden upon her, which she could 
not remove, just as sin is a debt or burden upon the con- 
science, which no man is able to cast off. Well, what 
could the widow do ? Her language to herself was, "How 
can I live with this burden? My little furniture— my 
all will be sold ! — I must go to the workhouse, where I 
must mix with bad people, who know not my Saviour, and 

B B 



386 



EZEKIEL XXXVI. 



who take His name in vain !" A benevolent individual 
hearing of her distress, sent to the creditor, desiring him 
to bring a receipt in full, and he should have his money. 
He took the receipt, and gave it to the widow. " O," 
said she, " now I shall live! I shall liver' This little 
story the minister applied, in the most simple manner, to 
the atonement of Christ, and His payment of the debt of 
His people. 

xxxiv. 3. — Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the 
wool, ye kill them that are fed : but ye feed not the flock. 

As one of the Princes of Orange was passing through a 
village one Sabbath day, he asked the people, ' Who is 
the man in black playing at tennis ?' He was answered, 
1 The man who has the care of our souls.' ' Good people,' 
said the Prince, 1 is this the man who has the care of your 
souls ? You had best then look about you, and take a 
little care of them yourselves.' 

xxxv. 5.— Thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast 
shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of 
the sword. 

Among the Circassians, the spirit of resentment is so 
strong, that all the relatives of the murderer are consi- 
dered as guilty. This customary infatuation to avenge 
the blood of relatives, generates most of the feuds, and 
occasions great bloodshed among all the tribes of Cauca- 
sus ; for unless pardon be purchased, or obtained by in- 
termarriage between the two families, the principle of 
revenge is propagated to all succeeding generations. The 
hatred which the mountainous nations evince against the 
Russians, arises, in a great measure, from the same source. 
If the thirst of vengeance is quenched by a price paid 
to the family of the deceased, this tribute is called Thlil- 
Uasa, or the price of blood ; but neither princes nor Usdens 
accept of such a compensation, as it is an established law 
among them, to demand blood for blood. 

xxxvi. 26. — A new heart also will I give you, and a 
new spirit will I put within you : and 1 will take away 
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an 
heart of flesh. 

The late Mr Reader of Taunton, having called one day, 
in the course of his pastoral visits, at the house of a 



EZEKIEL XXXIX. 



387 



friend, affectionately noticed a child in the room, a little 
girl about six years of age. Among other things, he asked 
her if she knew that she had a bad heart, and opening 
the Bible, pointed her to the passage where the Lord pro- 
mises to give a new heart. He entreated her to plead 
this promise in prayer, and she would find the Almighty 
faithful to His engagement. About seventeen years after, 
a lady came to him, to propose herself for communion 
with the Church, and how inexpressible was his delight, 
when he found that she was the very person with whom, 
when a child, he had so freely conversed on subjects of 
religion, and that the conversation was blessed for her 
conversion to God. Taking her Bible, she had retired, as 
he advised, pleaded the promise, wept, and prayed ; and 
the Lord, in answer to her fervent petitions, gave her 
what she so earnestly desired — a new heart. 

xxxvii. 5. — Thus saith the Lord God unto these 
bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, 
and ye shall live. 

'I remember,' says Rowland Hill, 'once conversing 
with a celebrated sculptor, who had been hewing out a 
block of marble to represent one of our great patriots — 
Lord Chatham. " There," said he, " is not that a fine 
form?" "Now, Sir," said I, "can you put life into it? 
else, with all its beauty, it is still but a block of marble." 
Christ, by His Spirit, puts life into a beauteous image, and 
enables the man He forms to live to His praise and glory.' 

xxxviii. 10. — Things shall come into thy mind, and 
thou shalt think an evil thought. 

Nicholson, the murderer of Mr and Mrs Bonar, at 
Chiselhurst, in Kent, who paid the forfeit of his life to the 
violated laws of his country, declared solemnly in writing, 
after sentence of death was passed upon him, that he had 
no previous malice towards the parties, nor intention to 
murder them, five minutes before he committed the hor- 
rid deed ; but that suddenly, as he awoke, the thought 
suggested itself to his mind, and which he can only ac- 
count for by confessing, ' that he had long lived in utter 
forgetfulness of God, and was in the habit of giving way 
to the worst passions of the human heart.' 

xxxix. 21. — I will set my glory among the heathen. 
Mr Stewart, in describing a worshipping assembly at 



S88 



EZEKIEL XLI. 



Hido, one of the Sandwich islands, says, 1 At an early hour 
of the morning, even before we had taken our breakfast 
on board ship, a single islander here or there, or a group 
of three or four, wrapped in their large mantles of various 
hues, might be seen winding their w r ay among the groves 
fringing their bay on the east, or descending from the 
hills and ravine on the north, towards the chapel ; and 
by degrees their numbers increased, till in a short time, 
every path along the beach, and over the uplands, pre- 
sented an almost uninterrupted procession of both sexes, 
and of every age, all pressing to the house of God. So 
few canoes were round the ship yesterday, and the land- 
ing-place had been so little thronged, as our boats passed 
to and fro, that one might have thought the district but 
thinly inhabited ; but now such multitudes were seen 
gathering from various directions, that the exclamation, 
"what crowds of people! what crowds of people!" was 
heard from the quarter-deck to the forecastle. — What a 
change — what a happy change ! when at this very place, 
only four years ago, the known wishes and example of 
chiefs of high authority, the daily persuasion of teachers 
added to motives of curiosity and novelty, could scarce 
induce a hundred of the inhabitants to give an irregular, 
careless, and impatient attendance on the services of the 
sanctuary: but now, 

" Like mountain torrents pouring to the main, 
From every glen a living stream came forth; 
From every hill in crowds they hastened down, 
To worship Him who deigns in humblest fane, 
On wildest shore, to meet the upright in heart." ' 

xl. 4. — Declare all that thou seest to the house of 

Israel. 

The late Rev. David Brown of Calcutta was remark- 
able for a deeply serious and impressive manner in preach- 
ing, which had perhaps a greater force than his words ; of 
this, a sensible hearer once observed, ' Whosoever may 
not believe as Mr Brown preaches, he makes it impossible 
to suspect he does not believe so himself ; for which 
reason alone we cannot but be attentive hearers, when we 
see him evidently so much in earnest.' 

xli. 22. — This is the table that is before the Lord. 
Mr Oliver Heywood had been settled at Coley in Eng- 
and for seven years, during which time the Lord's Supper 



EZEKIEL XLIII. 



380 



was not administered, nor, indeed, had been so for nine 
years previous to his settlement. He was deeply affected 
with the omission ; and having long revolved the sub- 
ject in his mind, he was now determined tore-establish 
the Divine institution in his chapel. He foresaw that dif- 
ficulties would arise, as he could not conscientiously admit 
all persons indiscriminately to the table of the Lord. In 
a prudent and cautious manner, he gradually introduced 
the subject to the notice of his people, by preaching a 
course of sermons on the nature, obligations, and advan- 
tages of the ordinance, and the qualifications of candidates. 
After having prepared the way, he at length announced 
his intention, and proposed that application should be 
made to him personally by all who desired to participate 
in this feast of love. Considerable numbers applied, and 
the conversations he held with them were mutually bene- 
ficial and gratifying. Their names were entered as can- 
didates. After having prepared the way, he at length 
announced, that if any objection should be taken against 
individuals, he might be informed of it previous to the 
administration. Some of his hearers and warmest ad- 
mirers, whose lives did no honour to their professions, 
took offence at the proceeding, and declared that they 
would come to the table and participate in the ordinance. 
Their courage, however, failed them after hearing the 
' preparation sermon/ The' ordinance was at length ad- 
ministered ; and great was the joy experienced both by 
Mr Heywood and the communicants on this occasion. It 
was a season of ' refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord,' and a day long to be remembered. 

xlii. 13. — The place is holy. 

A scoffing infidel of considerable talents, being once in 
company with a person of truly religious character, put 
the following question to him: — 'I understand, Sir, that 
you expect to go to heaven when you die : can you tell 
me what sort of a place heaven is ?' — ' Yes, Sir,' replied 
the Christian, ' heaven is a prepared place for a prepared 
people, and if your soul is not prepared for it, with all 
your boasted wisdom, you will never enter there.' 

xliii. 11. — Write it in their sight, that they may 
keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances 
thereof, and do them. 



390 



EZEKIEL XLYI. 



The church at Turvey, in which Mr Legh Richmond 
officiated, had a most appropriate selection of texts of 
Scripture inscribed on its walls, chosen by him with great 
care, and exhibiting a complete system of divinity. ' 1 
wish,' said Mr Richmond, 4 when I can no longer preach 
to my flock, that the walls should remind them of what 
they have heard from me. The eye, though wandering 
in thoughtless vacancy, may catch something to affect 
the heart.' 

xliv. 12. — They caused the house of Israel to fall 
into iniquity. 

* Stepping,' says one, ' into a Hackney stage in London 
one Saturday evening, I perceived a decent-looking young 
woman had already taken her seat. In the course of a 
little conversation, it appeared that she was a Jewess, who 
had that day been at the Synagogue, and was returning 
to Hackney, where she resided. Being, at that time, a 
Hebrew student myself, I was pleased with the oppor- 
tunity of conversing with this young person on the sub- 
ject of the Hebrew language, which she seemed to under- 
stand. The pleasure of the conversation, however, was 
interrupted by the circumstance of her occasionally taking 
God's name in vain. This led me to observe to her, that 
I was much surprised, that she should thus take the 
Lord's name in vain, in English, since I understood the 
Jews professed such a peculiar veneration for the Hebrew 
name, Jehovah, that they used another word in its place 
in reading their own Scriptures. The answer which she 
returned was, " The Christians do so." ' 

xlv. 12. — The shekel shall be twenty gerahs : twenty 
shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be 
your maneh. 

In a MS., to which Mr Harmer often refers, it is stated, 
that it is the custom of the East, in their accounts and 
their reckonings of a sum of money, to specify the differ- 
ent parts of which it is composed. Talking after this 
manner, I owe twenty-five — of which the half is twelve 
and one half, the quarter six and one-fourth, etc. This 
appears very strange to us ; but if it was the custom of 
those countries, it is no wonder that Ezekiel reckoned 
after this manner. 

xlvi. 15. — They shall prepare the lamb, and the 



EZEKIEL XL VIII. 



391 



meat-offering, and the oil, every morning, for a con- 
tinual burnt offering. 

The morning and evening sacrifice under the law, has 
often been referred to as emblematical of the morning and 
evening sacrifices of prayer and praise presented by Chris- 
tians under the Gospel, through faith in the Redeemer : 
and it is matter of regret that these should in many in- 
stances be altogether neglected, and in others but occa- 
sionally attended to. In the following case, a reproof for 
an omission of family prayer comes from an unexpected 
quarter : — 

'I knew a man,' says an author, 'who once received 
one of the most severe reproofs he ever met with from his 
own child, an infant of three years old. Family prayer 
had been, by some means, neglected one morning, and the 
child was, as it were, out of his element. At length he 
came to his father as he sat, and just as the family were 
going to dinner, the little reprover, leaning on his father's 
knee, said with a sigh, "Pa, you were used to go to 
prayer with us, but you did not to-day." — "No, my 
dear," said the parent, " I did not." — " But pa, you 
ought; why did you not?" In short, the father had not 
a word to reply, and the child's rebuke was as appropriate 
and effectual, as if it had been administered by the most 
able minister in the land ; and, it may be added, had as 
permanent an influence.' 

xlvii. 10. — Their fish shall be according to their 
kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. 

Doubdan, speaking of his going by sea from Sidon to 
Joppa, in his way to Jerusalem, says, that on entering 
into that port, they found it so abounding in fish, ' that a 
great fish pursuing one somewhat less, both of them 
sprung at the same time about three feet out of the water ; 
the first dropped into the middle of the bark, and the 
other fell so near that they had well nigh taken it with 
their hands ; this happened very luckily, as it afforded 
our sailors a treat.' 

xlviii. 35. — The Lord is there. 

In some part of the United States of America, the at- 
tendance at a prayer meeting had so declined, that some 
persons advised that it should be given up, which was 
accordingly done. On the following Tuesday, a poor 



392 



DANIEL II. 



infirm old woman, a constant attendant, was seen, as 
usual, hobbling along to the chapel. On her return, some 
one met her and said, 4 Why, you forgot that the prayer 
meeting was given up ; there was not any one there, was 
there?' — 'O yes,' said the woman, 'There was God the 
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, and a 
glorious time we had, and they promised to meet me 
again next Tuesday night.' From that time the place 
was crowded, and nothing more was heard about giving 
it up. 



DANIEL. 

Chap. i. ver. 8. — Daniel purposed in his heart that 
he would not defile himself with the portion of the 
king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. 

Dr Philip mentions that some Dutch merchants opened 
a storehouse for selling ardent spirits, on the borders of 
one of the missionary settlements in South Africa, which 
would have counteracted all the beneficial effects of the 
Gospel on the poor untutored natives, had not the mis- 
sionaries fallen on a happy expedient for defeating its 
baneful effects. When they heard of one of their converts 
entering into the storehouse to purchase ardent spirits, 
they caused his name on the following Sabbath to be 
read before the congregation, that the minister and the 
whole church might unite in prayer on behalf of a brother 
exposed to great and dangerous temptation. This had 
so salutary an effect, that henceforth not a convert would 
enter the spirit shop. The storehouse was speedily re- 
moved, and caused no further annoyance. 

ii. 1. — Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith 
his spirit was trouble:, and his sleep brake from him. 

In February 1786, Professor Meyer of Halle was sent 
for by one of his pupils, a medical student, who lay 
dangerously ill. The patient told him that he should 
certainly die, having had a warning dream to that effect. 
4 1 wrote it down, he added, 4 the morning after it hap- 
pened, and laid it in a drawer, of which this is the key ; 
when I am gone, read it over.' On the 4th of March the 
student died. Professor Meyer opened the drawer of 
the writing-desk, in which he found this narration : — ' I 



DANIEL IV. 



393 



thought I was walking in the church-yard of Halle, and 
admiring the number of excellent epitaphs which are cut 
on the grave-stones there. Passing from one to another, 
I was struck by a plain tomb-stone, of which I went to 
read the inscription. With surprise I found upon it my 
fore-names and surname, and that I died on the 4th of 
March. With progressive anxiety I tried to read the 
date of the year ; but I thought there was moss over the 
fourth cipher of 178 — . I picked up a stone to scrape the 
figures clean, and just as I began to distinguish a 6, with 
fearful palpitation I awoke.' 

iii. 18. — Be it known unto thee, 0 king, that we will 
not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which 
thou hast set up. 

Mr Samuel Wesley, the father of the celebrated Mr 
John Wesley, being strongly importuned by the friends 
of James the Second, to support the measures of the court 
in favour of Popery, with promises of preferment, abso- 
lutely refused even to read the king's declaration ; and 
though surrounded with courtiers, soldiers, and informers, 
he preached a bold and pointed discourse against it from 
these words : — 'If it be so, our God whom we serve, is 
able to deliver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, 
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve 
thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast 
set up.' 

iv. 27. — 0 king, let my counsel be acceptable unto 
thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine 
iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. 

During the illness of the pious King Edward VI., Dr 
Ridley, in a sermon which he preached before him, much 
commended works of charity, and showed that, as they 
were enjoined on all men, so especially on those in high 
stations. The same day after dinner, the king sent for 
the Doctor into the gallery, made him sit in a chair by 
him, and would not suffer him to be uncovered. After 
thanking the Doctor for his sermon, he repeated the chief 
heads of it, and added, 'I took myself to be chiefly 
touched by your discourse : for as in the kingdom I am 
next under God, so must I most nearly approach to Him 
in goodness and mercy. As our miseries stand most in 
the need of help from Him, so are we the greatest debtors. 



394 



DAXIEL VI. 



And therefore, as you have given me this general exhor- 
tation, direct me, I entreat you, by what particular act I 
may best discharge my duty.' 

v. 19. — Whom he would he slew, and whom he would 
he kept alive, and whom he would he set up, and whom 
he would he put down. 

At the court of France, whilst Louis XIY. was yet in 
his youth, some abject courtiers were entertaining the 
prince in public with the policy of the Turkish govern- 
ment. They observed, that the Sultan had nothing to do 
but to say the word, whatever it was, whether to take off 
a great man's head, or strip him of his employment or 
estate, and that there was a train of servants they called 
mutes, who executed it without reply. 1 See/ said the 
prince, 1 what it is to be a king ! ' The old Count de 
Grammont, who heard the corrupters of the youth with 
indignation, immediately interposed : ' But, Sire ; of these 
same sultans I have known three strangled by their own 
mutes within my memory.' This silenced the flatterers ; 
and the Duke de Montausier, the French Cato, who was 
lolling in a chair behind the circle that surrounded the 
prince, forced his way through the crowd, and publicly 
thanked the Count de Grammont for his noble and sea- 
sonable liberty. 

vi. 10. — When Daniel knew that the writing was 
signed, he went into his house ; and his windows being 
open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled 
upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave 
thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 

Some time ago, a law was passed in the House of As- 
sembly at Kingston, which contained several clauses 
highly injurious to the missionary cause in Jamaica. No 
time was lost in carrying its oppressive enactments into 
effect. A Wesleyan missionary was thrown into prison 
for the alleged 'crime' of preaching till after eight o'clock 
in the evening. Two persons connected with the con- 
gregation at Montego Bay, had their houses levelled with 
the ground — their feet made fast in the stocks — and were 
sent in chains to the workhouse, charged with the heinous 
offence of praying to the God of heaven. One of these, 
however, proved so incorrigible, that they were obliged to 
give him up in despair. Having nothing to do besides in 



DANIEL VII. 



395 



the jail, he spent his time — morning, noon, and night — in 
singing, and in calling upon God ; which so annoyed the 
jailor, that he repeatedly went into his cell and beat him, 
till at length the jailor brought him again before the court 
for this sin. The man, however, resolutely declared his 
purpose to pray. 1 If you let me go,' said he, 1 me will 
pray — if you keep me in prison, me will pray — if you flog 
me, me will pray ; pray me must, and pray me will ! ' 
The jailor was fairly confounded ; and, rather than be 
annoyed any longer by this ' praying fellow,' he gave up 
his fees, and a part of the fine was remitted ; and so the 
man was dismissed, to go and pray elsewhere. 

vii. 1. — In the first year of Belshazzar king of Baby- 
Ion, Daniel had a dream, and visions of his head upon 
his bed ; then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of 
the matters. 

Before Mr and Mrs Notcult had any idea of removing 
from their residence in Essex, Mrs N. dreamed one night 
that they went to live at Ipswich, and the house in which 
she imagined they resided, was so impressed on her mind, 
that when she actually went there, some years afterwards, 
she had a perfect recollection of it. She also dreamed, 
that as she was going to a closet in the parlour, her nose 
began to bleed, and that it would be impossible to stop 
it, until she had lost so much blood as to occasion her 
death, which event should happen forty years from that 
day. As her mind was deeply impressed, she wrote down 
in her pocket-book the day of the month and year in 
which her dream occurred. Some time after, they went 
to reside at Ipswich, and Mrs N. was surprised to find 
the house exactly correspond with the one she had seen 
in her dream, and also the very same closet, in going to 
which the fatal accident happened. But parental duties, 
and the busy concerns of life, engaging her attention, the 
circumstance was soon forgotten, and the closet frequented 
for a number of years, without any fear of the accom- 
plishment of her dream. On Christmas day 1775, as she 
was reaching a bottle of drops from the closet, to give Mr 
Notcult, who was confined to a couch in the room, her 
nose began to bleed. Finding, after some time, all at- 
tempts to stop the blood ineffectual, her dream came to 
her recollection, and she requested one of her attendants 
to fetch her pocket-book, directing him where to find it. 



396 



DANIEL X. 



Upon examining it, they found, to their unspeakahle sur- 
prise, that it was exactly forty years from the time her 
dream occurred. All methods were tried without effect, 
and as the medical attendant entered the room, she said 
to him, * You may try to stop the bleeding, if you please, 
but you will not be able.' After languishing from Thurs- 
day till Saturday, she sweetly fell asleep in Jesus. 

viii. 17. — Understand, O son of man; for at the 
time of the end shall be the vision. 

' Thanks to Divine goodness,' says Dr Payson of Ame- 
rica, ' this has been a good day to me. Was favoured 
with considerable freedom in the morning, and rejoiced 
in the Lord through the day. In the evening felt an un- 
usual degree of assistance, both in prayer and study. 
Since I began to beg God's blessing on my studies, I 
have done more in one week, than in the whole year be- 
fore. Surely it is good to draw near to God at all times.' 

ix. 23. — At the beginning of thy supplications the 
commandment came forth, and I am come to show 
thee ; for thou art greatly beloved : therefore under- 
stand the matter, and consider the vision. 

A gentleman having been deeply engaged in abstruse 
speculations as to the distance from one planet to another, 
and the length of time that would be required to travel 
such a distance, carried his speculation so far as to in- 
quire, — 4 Supposing heaven to be a place, what may be 
supposed its distance, and the time required for locomo- 
tion, from one world to the other?' A lady present 
promptly replied, — 1 It is not a matter of mere conjec- 
ture, but admits of a satisfactory and scriptural solution. 
While a godly man prays and makes confession with sup- 
plication to his God, there is time enough for the com- 
mandment to go forth in heaven, and an angel, swift in 
flight, to reach earth with an answer of mercy.' 

x. 8. — I was left alone, and saw this great vision, 
and there remained no strength in me : for my comeli- 
ness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained 
no strength. 

The Eev. William Tennant of America had preached 
one Lord's day morning to his congregation, and in the 
intermission had walked into the woods for meditation, 



DANIEL XI. 



307 



the weather being warm. He was reflecting on the in- 
finite wisdom of God, as manifested in all His works, and 
particularly on the wonderful method of salvation through 
the death and sufferings of His beloved Son. This sub- 
ject suddenly opened on his mind with such a flood of 
light, that his views of the glory and the infinite majesty 
of Jehovah were so inexpressibly great, as entirely to 
overwhelm him ; and he fell almost lifeless to the ground. 
When he had revived a little, all he could do was to raise 
a fervent prayer, that God would withdraw Himself from 
him, or that he must perish under a view of His ineffable 
glory. When able to reflect on his situation, he could 
not but abhor himself as a weak and despicable worm ; 
and seemed to be overcome with astonishment, that a 
creature so unworthy and insufficient, had ever dared to 
attempt the instruction of his fellow-men in the nature 
and attributes of so glorious a Being. Overstaying his 
usual time, some of his elders went in search of him, and 
found him prostrate on the ground, unable to rise, and 
incapable of informing them of the cause. They raised 
him up, and, after some time, brought him to the church, 
and supported him to the pulpit, which he ascended on 
his hands' and knees, to the no small astonishment of the 
congregation. He remained silent a considerable time, 
earnestly supplicating Almighty God to hide Himself 
from him, that he might be enabled to address his people, 
who were by this time lost in wonder to know what had 
produced this uncommon event. His prayers were heard, 
and he became able to stand up, by holding the desk : 
and in a most affecting and pathetic address, he gave an 
account of the views he had of the infinite wisdom of 
God, and deplored his own incapacity to speak to them 
concerning a Being so infinitely glorious beyond all his 
powers of description. He then broke out into so fervent 
and expressive a prayer, as greatly to surprise the con- 
gregation, and draw tears from every eye. A sermon 
followed, which continued the solemn scene, and made 
very lasting impressions on the hearers. 

xi. 32. — The people that do know their God shall 
be strong, and do exploits. 

1 1 have lately had the honour,' said Captain Parry, at 
a public meeting in 1826, 4 and I may truly say the hap- 
piness, of commanding British seamen under circum- 



398 



DANIEL XII. 



stances requiring the utmost activity, implicit and imme- 
diate obedience, and the most rigid attention to discipline 
and good order ; and I am sure, that the maintenance of 
all these was, in a great measure, owing to the blessing 
of God upon our humble endeavours to improve the re- 
ligious and moral character of our men. In the schools 
established on board our ships during the winter, religion 
was made the primary object, and the result was every 
way gratifying and satisfactory. It has convinced me, 
that true religion is so far from being a hindrance to the 
arduous duties of that station in which it has pleased 
Providence to cast the seaman's lot, that, on the contrary, 
it will always incite him to their performance, from the 
highest and most powerful of motives ; and I will venture 
to predict, that in proportion as this spring of action is 
more and more introduced among our seamen, they 
would become such as every Englishman would wish to 
see them. To this fact, at least, I can, on a small scale, 
bear the most decided testimony ; and the friends of reli- 
gion will feel a pleasure in having the fact announced, that 
the very best seamen on board the " Hecla " — such, I mean, 
as were always called upon in any case of extraordinary 
emergency — were, without exception, those who had thought 
the most seriously on religious subjects ; and if a still 
more scrupulous selection were to be made out of that 
number, the choice would fall, without hesitation, on two 
or three individuals possessing dispositions and sentiments 
eminently Christian' 

xii. 13. — But go thou thy way till the end be: for 
thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the 
days. 

In a certain town in Providence, there lived two young 
men, who were intimate acquaintances. The one was 
truly pious ; and the other, a shopman, paid no regard to 
the importance of divine things. The shopman took up 
a leaf of the Bible, and was about to tear it in pieces, 
and use it for packing up some small parcels in the shop, 
when the other said, 4 Do not tear that, it contains the 
words of eternal life.' The young man, though he did not 
relish the reproof of his kind and pious friend, folded up 
the leaf and put it in his pocket. A while after this, he 
said within himself, ' Now I will see what kind of life it 
is of which this leaf speaks/ On unfolding the leaf, the 



HOSEA II. 



399 



first words that caught his eye, were the last in the book 
of Daniel — ' But go thou thy way till the end be ; for 
thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the 
days.' He began immediately to inquire, what his lot 
would be at the end of the days, and from this occurrence 
became truly pious. 



HOSEA. 

Chap. i. ver. 10. — In the place where it was said 
unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said 
unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. 

The late Kev. Eobert Hall of Bristol, when describing 
the character of Mr Robinson of Leicester, says, — 'It was 
the boast of Augustus, that he found the city of Borne 
built of brick, and that he left it built with marble. Mr 
Robinson might say, without arrogance, that he had been 
the instrument of effecting a far more beneficial and 
momentous change. He came to this place while it was 
sunk in vice and irreligion ; he left it eminently distin- 
guished by sobriety of manners, and the practice of warm, 
serious, and enlightened piety. He did not add aqueducts 
and palaces, nor increase the splendour of its public edi- 
fices ; but he embellished it with undecaying ornaments. 
He renovated the minds of its inhabitants, and turned a 
large portion of them from darkness to light, and from 
the power of Satan to God. He embellished it with 
living stones, and replenished it with numerous temples 
of the Holy Ghost. He enlarged its intercourse with 
heaven, and trained a great portion of its inhabitants for 
the enjoyment of celestial bliss.' 

ii. 23. — I will say to them which were not my 
people, Thou art my people ; and they shall say, Thou 
art my God. 

On one occasion, when the late Mr Brown of Hadding- 
ton was exhorting his students not to rest satisfied with 
a mere speculative acquaintance with the truths of Scrip- 
ture, in the systems, or with treasuring them up in the 
memories, but to be concerned to have them engraven on 
their hearts by the Spirit of God, he took occasion to 
mention something of his own experience, of which he 
was usually very sparing. 1 1 recollect/ said he, 1 that 



400 



ROSEA V. 



when sitting on the brae of Abernethy, hearing Mr Wil- 
son of Perth, I got more insight into that marrow of the 
Gospel, thy God and my God, than I ever got before or 
since : alas ! that it was so long ago.' 

iii. 2. — I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, 
and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley. 

' Sir John Chardin,' says Harmer, 1 observed in the 
East, that in their contracts for their temporary wives, — 
which are known to be frequent there, which contracts 
are made before the Cadi, — there is always the formality 
of a measure of corn mentioned, over and above the sum 
of money that is stipulated. I do not know of any thing 
that should occasion this formality of late days in the 
East ; it may possibly be very ancient, as it is apparent 
this sort of wife is ; if it be, it will perhaps account for 
Hosea's purchasing a woman of this sort for fifteen pieces 
of silver, and a certain quantity of barley.' 

iv. 6. — My people are destroyed for lack of know- 
ledge. 

Dr Ford, formerly ordinary of Newgate, who had con- 
tinual opportunities of investigating the fatal cause of 
depravity, ascribed the commission of crimes to the want 
of religious, as well as every moral principle. Of this 
the following is a melancholy proof : — ' Going into the 
desk,' says the doctor, 4 at the chapel in Newgate, the 
first Sunday after the Session, I saw twelve men in the 
condemned felon's pew, whose deportment and dress were 
decent and respectable. When I announced the day of 
the month, and mentioned the psalm, I was astonished to 
observe that none of those convicts took up a prayer-book, 
though several lay before them ; neither did any of them 
seem to know a particle of the church-service, or when to 
stand, sit, or kneel. In conversation with one next day, 
I inquired how it happened that none of them opened a 
prayer-book during divine service. Upon this there was 
rather an appearance of confusion, and a dead silence 
ensued. I put the question a second time, when one of 
them hesitatingly stammered out, " Sir, I cannot read ; 
nor I, nor I, nor I," was rapidly uttered by them all.* 

v. 15. — In their affliction they will seek me early. 
Vavasor Powel, an eminent minister, being appointed 



HOSEA VII. 



401 



to preach on a certain day in a meadow in Cardiganshire, 
a number of idle persons, enemies to religion, agreed to 
meet at the same time and place, to play at foot-ball, and 
thereby create a disturbance. Among them was a young 
man, named Morgan Howell, of respectable family in 
that neighbourhood, lately returned from school, having 
finished his education, who, being nimble-footed and 
dexterous at the game, had obtained possession of the 
ball, and intended to kick it in the face of the preacher. 
At this instant another person ran towards him and 
tripped up his heels. By the fall his leg was broken ; 
and after lying on the ground in great agony, he express- 
ed a wish to see the minister, to whom on his arrival, he 
confessed his wicked intention, and acknowledged that 
the just judgment of God had befallen him. The mini- 
ster having represented to him the evil and danger of sin, 
preached the power of the Saviour, and at the request of 
the young man, accompanied him to his father's house. 
So great was the change produced in him by means of 
this affliction, that on his recovery he began to preach, 
and was for many years the most laborious preacher in 
those parts. 

vi. 4. — Your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as 
the early dew it goeth away. 

' The dew of the night,' says Dr Shaw, 1 as we had only 
the heavens for our covering, would frequently wet us to 
the skin ; but no sooner was the sun risen, and the at- 
mosphere a little heated, than the mists were dispersed, 
and the copious moisture, which the dew communicated 
to the sands, would be entirely evaporated.' 

vii. 5. — In the day of our king, the princes have 
made him sick with bottles of wine ; he stretched out 
his hand with scorners. 

Cyrus, when a youth, being at the court of his grand- 
father Cambyses, undertook one day to be a cup-bearer 
at table. It was the duty of this officer to taste the liquor 
before it was presented to the King. Cyrus, without per- 
forming this ceremony, delivered the cup in a very grace- 
ful manner to his grandfather. The King observed the 
omission, which he imputed to forgetfulness. 4 No,' re- 
plied Cyrus, 'I was afraid to taste, because I apprehended 
there was poison in the liquor; for not long since, at an 

c c 



402 



HOSEA XI. 



entertainment which you gave, I observed that the lords 
of your court, after drinking of it, became noisy, quarrel- 
some, and frantic. Even you, Sir, seemed to have for- 
gotten that you were a king.' 

viii. 14. — Israel hath forgotten his Maker. 

The Rev. John Brown of Haddington, offered the fol- 
lowing advice to one of his hearers, whose father was an 

eminent Christian: — 'Well, , mind these words — 

" Thou art my God, I will prepare Thee an habitation ; 
my father's God, I will exalt Thee." We should reckon 
him a madman, who would throw away a father's estate ; 
but he is much more foolish who throws away a father's 
God/ 

ix. 17. — My God will cast them away, because they 
did not hearken unto him ; and they shall be wanderers 
among the nations. 

Pains had been early taken by some of the Prince of 
Conde's supposed friends to shake his belief of Christi- 
anity ; he always replied, ' You give yourselves a great 
deal of unnecessary trouble ; the dispersion of the Jews 
will always be an undeniable proof to me of the truth of 
our holy religion.' 

x. 2. — Their heart is divided ; now shall they be 
found faulty. 

Numbers of the Greenlanders, who for a time adhered 
to the Moravian Missionaries, and promised well, drew 
back, and walked no more with them ; while the greater 
part of those who were wavering, seduced by the con- 
course of their heathen countrymen, again joined the 
multitude. One being asked why he could not stay, an- 
swered, ' I have bought a great deal of powder and shot, 
which I must first spend in the south, in shooting rein- 
deer ;' another, 'I must first have my fill of bears' flesh ;* 
and a third, 'I must have a good boat, and then I will 
believe.' 

xi. 7. — Though they called them to the Most High, 
none at all would exalt him. 

On the day appointed for the National Fast in England, 
some of the parishioners of Timsbury, near Bath, when 
going to the parish church, met a young man of their ac- 
quaintance, but a leader of crime among his companions. 



HO SEA XIY. 



403 



They asked him to accompany them to church. 1 What 
should I go to church for ?' ' O,' replied they, 6 everybody 
goes to church to-day.' ' I sha'nt go to church till I am 
carried there.' On the Friday after, he was employed to 
blow up the root of a tree with gunpowder, and though, 
after having communicated fire to the fuse, he retired to 
an unusually great distance, yet when the explosion took 
place, a shivered splint hit him in the forehead, and in 
six hours he was a corpse. The effects produced in the 
parish are said to have been extensively and solemnly 
made manifest in the conversion of more than a hundred 
of the most dissolute and abandoned of the inhabitants, 
who have, by the relinquishment of criminal practices, 
and a devout attendance on Divine ordinances, evinced 
the sincerity of their repentance. 

xii. 4. — He had power over the angel, and prevailed ; 
ne wept and made supplication unto him. 

The Eev. Ralph Erskine was on one occasion requested 
by an afflicted friend to remember him in prayer. From 
the urgency of other affairs, the pious request for a time 
escaped his memory ; but happening to recollect it during 
the night, he rose out of bed, and prayed with great fer- 
vour in behalf of that individual. Not long after, he had 
the happiness to receive information of his recovery, and 
found, that at the very hour in which he had wrestled for 
him with the God of Jacob, the sufferer had obtained 
effectual relief. 

xiii. 1. — When Ephraim spake trembling, he ex- 
alted himself in Israel. 

The Rev. Henry Erskine, minister of Falkirk, and son 
of the Rev. Ralph Erskine, during his last illness, disco- 
vered deep abasement, mingled with a lively hope. 1 The 
prayer of the publican,' said he, ' must be my prayer, — ■ 
" God be merciful to me a sinner." ' When his brother 
James at one time made this pious remark, ' We all need 
to settle our accounts with God betimes,' Henry replied, 
4 1 know no way, dear brother, of settling my accounts, 
but by receiving a free pardon from my Redeemer.' 

xiv. 4. — I will heal their backsliding, I will love 
them freely : for mine anger is turned away from him. 

It is said of a Mr G., that he lay languishing in distress 



404 



JOEL II. 



of mind for five years — during which he took no comfort 
in meat or drink, nor any pleasure in life — being under a 
sense of some backsliding, he was distressed as if he had 
been in the deepest pit of hell. If he ate his food, it was 
not from any appetite, but with a view to defer his damna- 
tion, thinking within himself that he must needs be lost 
so soon as his breath was out of his body. Yet, after all 
this, he was set at liberty, received great consolation, and 
afterwards lived altogether a heavenly life. Let not the 
tempted believer then despond, nor the returning back- 
slider fear lest he should be rejected. 



JOEL. 

Chap. i. ver. 6. — A nation is come up upon my 
land, strong and without number. 

In the year 1690, a cloud of locusts was seen to enter 
Kussia in three different places, and from thence to spread 
themselves over Poland and Lithuania, in such astonish- 
ing multitudes, that the air was darkened, and the earth 
covered with their numbers. In some places they were 
seen lying dead, heaped upon each other four feet deep ; 
in others they covered the surface like a black cloth ; the 
trees bent beneath their weight, and the damage which 
the country sustained exceeded computation. 

ii. 20. — I will remove far off from you the northern 
army, and will drive him into a land barren and deso- 
late, with his face towards the east sea, and his hinder 
part toward the utmost sea : and his stink shall come 
up, and his ill savour. 

Baron de Tott, speaking of the locust, says. 1 1 have 
often seen the shores of the Pontus Euxinus, towards the 
Bosphorus of Thrace, covered with their dried remains 
in such multitudes, that one could not walk along the 
strand without sinking half-leg deep into a bed of these 
skinny skeletons. Curious to know the true cause of 
their destruction, I sought the moment of observation, 
and was a witness of their ruin by a storm, which over- 
took them so near the shore that their bodies were cast 
upon the land while yet entire. This produced an infec- 
tion so great, that it was several days before they could 
be approached.' 



AMOS II. 



405 



iii. 3. — They have sold a girl for wine that they 
might drink. 

A few years ago, an old woman in London went into 
a dram shop and called for a glass of gin, which she 
drank off as soon as it was served to her. She then pro- 
duced a Bible from under her apron, saying she had no 
money, hut would leave that in pledge, and redeem it in 
half an hour ; she however never returned. A woman in 
Glasgow, some time since, in order to gratify her immo- 
derate craving for ardent spirits, was said to have offered 
her own child for sale as a subject for dissection. 



AMOS. 

Chap. i. ver. 11. — He did cast off ail pity. 

1 Bonaparte,' says Sir Robert Wilson, ' having carried 
the town of Jaffa by assault, many of the garrison were 
put to the sword, but the greater part flying into the 
mosques, and imploring mercy from their pursuers, were 
granted their lives. Three days afterwards, Bonaparte, 
who had expressed much resentment at the compassion 
manifested by his troops, and determined to relieve him- 
self from the maintenance and care of 3800 prisoners, 
ordered them to be marched to a rising ground near 
Jaffa, where a division of French infantry formed against 
them. When the Turks had entered into their fatal 
alignment, and the mournful preparations were com- 
pleted, the signal gun fired. Volleys of musketry and 
grape instantly played against them, and Bonaparte, who 
had been regarding the scene through a telescope, when 
he saw the smoke ascending, could not contain his joy/ 

ii. 12. — Ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink. 

In a village within ten miles of Elgin, a transaction 
occurred which it is impossible to condemn in sufficiently 
strong language. A man called on a publican in this 
village, in order to settle an account, and was asked to 
take a dram ; this was declined by the man on account 
of his being a member of the Temperance Society. The 
publican first began to ridicule and then to tempt him, 
telling him that he would give him a real good one, and 
that, besides, a gien dram would never be objected to 



406 



AMOS IV. 



The simple man at length yielded to the tempter, and 
having yielded, was the more ready to sink before other 
even less powerful temptations ; he did so, and is no longer 
a temperate man, or a member of a temperance society. 
It may be observed, that the mere circumstance of being a 
member of the Temperance Society will not, and cannot 
be expected to enable a man to resist temptation, other- 
wise than as a lawful means under God ; unless, there- 
fore, we ask for His assistance, our best resolutions will 
be insufficient to secure our safety. The atrocious con- 
duct of this publican consisted in tempting the man, after 
he was made aware of his conscientious reasons for total 
abstinence. If his unhappy victim die the death of the 
drunkard, who will say he is guiltless of the loss of that 
man's soul ? 

iii. 8. — The lion hath roared, who will not fear ? 

A lion having escaped from the menagerie of the great 
Duke of Tuscany, entered Florence, everywhere spread- 
ing terror. Among the fugitives was a woman with a 
child in her arms, which she let fall. He seized, and 
seemed ready to devour it, when the mother, transported 
with the tender affections of nature, ran back, threw her- 
self before the lion, and by her gestures demanded the 
child. The lion looked at her stedfastly, — her cries and 
tears seemed to affect him, till at last he laid down the 
child without doing it the least injury. 

iv. 12 — Prepare to meet thy God, 0 Israel. 

The late Rev. Mr Madan was educated for the bar. 
His conversion arose from the following circumstance : — 
He was desired one evening, by some of his companions, 
who were with him at a coffee-house, to go and hear Mr 
John Wesley, who they were told was to preach in the 
neighbourhood, and to return and exhioit his manners 
and discourse for their entertainment. He went with 
that intention, and just as he entered the place, Mr 
Wesley named as his text, ' Prepare to meet thy God,' 
with a solemnity of accent which struck him, and which 
inspired a seriousness that increased as the good man 
proceeded in exhorting his hearers to repentance. Mr 
M. returned to the coffee-room, and was asked by his ac- 
quaintance, 4 if he had taken off the old Methodist ? ' To 
which he answered, ' No, gentlemen, but he has taken me 



AMOS VII. 



407 



off;' and from that time he left their company altogether, 
and in futnre associated with serious people, and became 
himself a serious character. 

v. 13. — The prudent shall keep silence in that time; 
for it is an evil time. 

Euler lived at Petersburg during the administration 
of Biron, one of the most tyrannical ministers that ever 
breathed. On the philosopher's coming to Berlin, after 
the tyrant's death, the late queen of Prussia, who could 
hardly get a word out of him, asked him the reason of his 
silence ; ' Because,' said he, ' I come from a place where 
if a man says a word he is hanged.' 

vi. 5, 6. — That chaunt to the sound of the viol, and 
invent to themselves instruments of music, like David ; 
that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with 
the chief ointments ; but they are not grieved for the 
affliction of Joseph. 

The tragical scenes which came under Mr Pisk's obser- 
vation while in Greece, had become so common, that they 
began to be regarded with indifference by many classes of 
people. Parties of pleasure and vain amusements were 
revived and engaged in, as though all were peace. Thou- 
sands had fled for their lives, and the streets of Smyrna 
were crimsoned with Grecian blood. It was estimated 
that 2000 had been massacred, and heavy exactions of 
money were demanded of others for the privilege of liv- 
ing. The bodies of the slain were seen frequently floating 
in the bay. In a word, exactions, imprisonment, or death, 
met the defenceless Greeks in every direction ; — and yet, 
strange to tell, multitudes, only because they were better 
protected from Turkish violence, went thoughtlessly to 
the assembly room and the dance, as though all were 
peace and security. While the countenance of many 
gathered blackness through fear, that of others exhibited 
only the expression of a thoughtless ill-timed levity. 

vii. 10. — Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to Jero- 
boam, king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired 
against thee in the midst of the house of Israel ; the 
land is not able to bear all his words. 

Bishop Latimer, in preaching before King Henry the 
Eighth, spoke his mind very plainly ; which some of his 



408 



AMOS IX. 



enemies thought to make their advantage of, by complain- 
ing of him to the king, that they might thus get him out 
of the way. Soon after his sermon, he and several others 
being called before the king to speak their minds on cer- 
tain matters, one of them kneeled before his majesty, 
and accused Latimer of having preached seditious doc- 
trines. The king turned to Latimer, and said, ' What say 
you to that, Sir?' Latimer kneeled down, and turning 
first to his accuser, said, 4 What form of preaching would 
you appoint me to preach before a king ? Would you 
have me to preach nothing concerning a king, in a king's 
sermon ? Have you any commission to appoint me what 
I shall preach ?' He asked him several other questions, 
but he would answer none at all ; nor had he anything to 
say. Then he turned to the king, and said, 1 I never 
thought myself worthy, nor ever sued, to be a preacher 
before your Grace. But I was called to it, and would be 
willing, if you mislike me, to give place to my betters. 
But if your Grace allow me for a preacher, I would desire 
your Grace to discharge my conscience, give me leave to 
frame my discourse according to mine audience. I had 
been a very dolt to have preached so at the borders of 
your realm, as I preach before your Grace.' These words 
were well received by the king, as Latimer concluded, 
because the king presently turned to another subject. 
Some of his friends came to him with tears in their 
eyes, and told him, they looked for nothing but that he 
should have been sent to the Tower the same night. 

viii. 12. — They shall wander from sea to sea, and 
from the north even to the east ; they shall run to and 
fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. 

Dr Henderson, in his Journal, says, 1 In the east of 
Iceland I fell in with a clergyman, who has been seeking 
in vain to obtain a Bible for the long period of seventeen 
years! His joy, on my arrival, was inexpressible. I 
passed through a parish lately, in which were only two 
Bibles, and another, considerably more populous, in which 
there are none at all!' 

ix. 3. — Though they be hid from my sight in the 
bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, 
and he shall bite them. 

In the year 1807, a stout young fisherman in the neigh- 



JONAH I. 



409 



bourhood of Calcutta, in the East Indies, was bit on the 
point of the middle finger of his right hand by a sea snake, 
which had been entangled in his net, and considering it 
harmless, he threw it into the sea, and thought nothing of 
the bite. About an hour afterwards, he complained of a 
slight pain in the bitten finger, which extended along the 
inside of the right arm. The pain increased, he felt gid- 
diness, attended with weakness in the loins and legs, 
which was followed with violent spasms, and early in the 
morning he died in convulsions. 



OBADIAH. 

Yer. 5. — -If thieves came to thee, if robbers by 
night, would they not have stolen till they had enough ? 

At an assizes held at York, J . Fourniss and G. Wilkin- 
son were tried for a burglary in the house of George Hol- 
royd, a clothier at Hartshead. These villains having en- 
tered the house, came to the bed-side of Holroyd, about 
one in the morning, demanding his money, and repeatedly 
threatening to kill him if he refused to discover it. It 
happened that Holroyd had only a single sixpence in the 
house, as he solemnly assured them ; but not believing 
him, they persevered in the threatening to kill him, with 
a case-knife, which Fourniss held in his hand. Holroyd 
then begged they would suffer him to pray before he died. 
Wilkinson consented, saying, ' Let him pray.' He did 
so for a few minutes ; after which Wilkinson seemed to 
relent, for when the other said, 'He will not show us 
where his money is,— we must kill him !' Wilkinson said, 
1 No, we will not kill him.' Soon after which both left 
the house, taking with them some bacon, butter, and eggs. 
The jury found the prisoners guilty, but recommended 
Wilkinson to mercy, on account of the compassion he 
discovered. Such was the good effect of prayer even 
upon a thief. 



JONAH. 

Chap. i. ver. 5, 6. — Jonah was gone down into the 
sides of the ship ; and he lay, and was fast asleep. 
So the ship-master came to him, and said unto him, 



410 



JONAH II. 



What meanest thou, O sleeper ? arise, call upon thy 
God. 

Two or three miles ahove the falls of Niagara, an Indian 
canoe was one day observed floating quietly along, with 
its paddle upon its side. At first it was supposed to be 
empty ; no one could imagine that a man would expose 
himself to such well-known and imminent danger. But 
a turn in the current soon gave the travellers a sight of 
an Indian lying idly asleep at the bottom. They were 
shocked, and called aloud, but he did not hear ; they 
shouted in an agony of pity and alarm — but he was deaf 
to their saving cry. It chanced that the current, which 
was now hurrying along with increased speed as it neared 
the fatal precipice, drove the little boat against a point of 
rock with such violence, that it was whirled round and 
round several times. He's safe ! he's safe ! cried the 
spectators, joyfully; the man is safe, — that shock mast 
wake him. But, alas ! no. Fatigue, or drunkenness (to 
which savages are particularly addicted), had so oppressed 
his senses, that it seemed more like death than sleep which 
held him ; it was indeed the sleep of death. All hope was 
gone, and they hurried along the shore in alarm to see the 
end. It soon came, for the torrent was now rolling so 
rapidly, that they could scarcely keep pace with the ob- 
ject of their interest. At length the roar of the water, 
which had been hitherto almost buried within the high 
banks below, by a sudden change of the wind broke upon 
them with double violence. This dreadful noise, with 
which the Indian ear was so familiar, did at last arouse 
him. He was seen to start up and snatch his paddle. 
But it was too late ; the same dunning sound which had 
roused him from insensibility, told him at the same time, 
that it was in vain to seek for safety now by rowing; nor, 
indeed, had he time to try ; upright as he stood, he went 
over the awful precipice, and the boat and its occupant 
were seen no more. 

ii. 5. — The waters compassed me about, even to the 
soul : the depth closed me round about. 

1 I once,' says Dr Currie of Liverpool, 'heard — for it 
was night, and I could not see — a traveller drowning, not 
in the Annan, but in the Firth of Solway, close by the 
mouth of that river. The influx of the tide had unhorsed 



JONAH IV. 



411 



him in the night as he was passing the sands from Cum- 
berland. The west wind blew a tempest ; and, according 
to the common expression, brought in the water three feet 
abreast. The traveller got upon a standing net a little 
way from the shore. There he lashed himself to the post, 
shouting for half an hour for assistance, till the tide rose 
over his head! In the darkness of the night, and amidst 
the pauses of the hurricane, his voice, heard .at in- 
tervals, was exquisitely mournful. No one could go to 
his assistance — no one knew where he was — the sound 
seemed to proceed from the spirit of the waters. But 
morning rose — the tide had ebbed — and the poor traveller 
was found, lashed to the pole of the net, and bleaching 
in the wind.' 

iii. 2. — Preach unto Nineveh the preaching that I 
bid thee. 

A celebrated preacher, now deceased, in a charge which 
he delivered to a young minister at his ordination, thus 
addressed him: — 'Let me remind you, Sir, that when 
you come into this place, and address this people, you 
are not to bring your little self with you. I repeat this 
again, Sir, that it may more deeply impress your memory ; 
I say, that you are never to bring your little self with you. 
No, Sir, when you stand in this sacred place, it is your 
duty to hold up your Great Master to your people, in His 
character, in His offices, in His precepts, in His promises, 
and in His glory. This picture you are to hold up to the 
view of your hearers, while you are to stand behind it, 
and not let so much as your little finger be seen.' 

iv. 9. — I do well to be angry, even unto death. 

*I was lately taking a journey from home,' says one, 
1 and happened one day to be drinking tea with a clergy- 
man, who said that he had just had a very awful death in 
his parish. I thought it was some drunkard, or swearer, 
or Sabbath-breaker, who had perhaps been cut off in his 
sins ; and I never for a moment supposed that it could be 
a little child. But how was I shocked when he told me 
the story ! A very little child, about three years old, had 
its naughty will crossed by its mother, and new into a 
violent passion. She screamed and cried, and stamped 
with her feet on the ground, and was like a mad creature 
with rage. And oh! (dreadful to relate) it pleased God 



412 



MICAH III. 



to strike her dead in the midst of her passion. Whether 
she broke a blood-vessel with her rage, or how it was, I 
do not know ; but she died in the midst of her sins, and 
is gone to the world of spirits.' 



MICAH. 

Chap. i. ver. 8. — I will wail and howl ; I will make 
a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. 

' While I was at Saphetta 9 (in Galilee), says Biddulph, 
the chaplain to the English factory at Aleppo, in the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth, ' many Turks departed from 
thence towards Mecca in Arabia. And the same morn- 
ing they went, we saw many women playing with timbrels, 
as they went along the streets, who made a yelling, or 
shrieking noise, as if they cried. We asked what they 
meant in so doing ? It was answered us, that they 
mourned for the departure of their husbands, who were 
gone that morning on a pilgrimage to Mecca ; and they 
feared that they should never see them again, because it 
was a long way and dangerous, and many died there every 
year. It seemed strange to us, that they should mourn 
with music about the streets ; for music is used in other 
places at times of mirth, and not at times of mourning.' 

ii. 11. — I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of 
strong drink. 

The following is Sir Astley Cooper's opinion of dram- 
drinking, in answer to an application by the secretary of 
the Temperance Society, for his support and patronage : 
— ' My dear Sir, — No person has greater hostility to dram- 
drinking than myself, insomuch that I never suffer any 
ardent spirits in my house, thinking them Evil Spirits. 
And if the poor could witness the white livers, the drop- 
sies, and the shattered nervous systems which I have seen, 
as the consequence of drinking, they would be aware that 
Spirits and Poisons were synonymous terms. But still 
I think the scheme so Utopian, that I cannot annex my 
name to it ; for I could as soon believe that I could, by 
my own efforts, stop the cataract of Niagara, as prevent 
the poor of London from destroying themselves by intem- 
perance.' 

iii. 8. — Truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the 



MICAH IV. 



413 



Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto 
Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. 

The biographer of Mr Legh Richmond one day sub- 
mitted to him the following question : — ' What is the 
scriptural and right way to preach to the Jews ?' ' I know 
of no scriptural way,' he replied, ' of preaching to men, 
otherwise than as sinners ; and why the Jews, whose sins 
are of so aggravated a nature, should be dealt with in a 
different icay, I do not see. I would address the Jew as 
I would address any other man, — that is, as a sinner ; 
and, till he is convinced of his sin, he will never believe 
in a Saviour. " Christ crucified," is declared to be " to 
the Greeks foolishness, and to the Jews a stumbling- 
block ; but to them that believe, the power of God and 
the wisdom of God." ISTo man will ever feel the power 
of God, whether he be Jew or Gentile, till he learns it at 
the foot of the cross/ 

iv. 3. — They shall beat their swords into plough- 
shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; nation 
shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall 
they learn war any more. 

4 1 have been labouring,' says the Rev. Mr Ellis, in a 
speech at the anniversary of the Naval and Military Bible 
Society, ' among a people who once delighted in war, but 
since Christianity has prevailed there, war has ceased al- 
together ; and they are astonished how they ever engaged 
in all those deeds of savage cruelty, which, according to 
their usual practice, threatened the extermination of their 
race ; but now the Prince of Peace reigns there. I have 
seen the musket-barrel taken from the stock, and carried 
to the anvil, and beaten into a spade or a hoe, though 
not into a ploughshare, for the plough does not yet turn 
up their fruitful soil, and the warrior who has used it in 
battle, now employs it in cultivating the land. They have 
even gone further in illustration of this beautiful de- 
scription of the prophet, for they have devoted the imple- 
ments of war to the service of the sanctuary ! The last- 
Sabbath I was there, I went into one of their chapels, 
and ministered to a large congregation of about fifteen 
hundred persons. A rude sort of pulpit was erected, and 
stairs led up to it, the railings of which, smooth and po- 
lished, were literally composed of the handles of warriors' 



li 



414 



MIC AH VI. 



spears, who had thus transferred their weapons, with 
themselves, to a nobler and better purpose — the service 
of the sanctuary of God !' 

v. 12. — I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand ; 
and thou shalt have no more soothsayers. 

On two estates in the island of Lequan, in the West 
Indies, the plan of appointing catechists for the purpose 
of reading the Scriptures to the negroes at weekly meet- 
ings, has been adopted, and the benefit resulting from it 
on one of them, is thus described by a correspondent : — 
4 A manager of these estates informed me, that the negroes 
do three times the work they formerly did, and are quite 
cheerful and happy. I was first requested to visit this 
estate by the proprietor, on account of the prevalence of 
Obiah or Witchcraft, which rendered the negroes wretch- 
ed, and had been the death of some, from its miserable 
influence upon their minds. But the truths of the Bible 
banished this from the estate ; and I will venture to say, 
that, while the Bible remains in their hands, and the love 
of it in their hearts, no Obiah will be found among them.' 

vi. 6. — Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and 
bow myself before the high God ? 

Mr W , a respectable Calvinistic minister, having 

been visited by a young candidate for the ministry, one 
Sabbath day invited him to preach. The young gentle- 
man consented, and delivered an ingenious Arminian 
sermon, though his prayer was very Calvinistic. When 

the service was over, Mr W thanked him for his 

kindness, praised him for his ingenuity, but told him that, 
as they did not agree in sentiment, he could not invite 
him to preach again; but, continued he, 'I have a favour 
to ask of you. When you go home, will you sit down 
and write* a prayer, to agree with the sentiments you have 
this day been preaching ? will you commit it to memory, 
go intoyour closet, and repeat it to God?' The young 
man promised to do it. Accordingly, when he went 
home, he wrote the prayer, committed it to memory, went 
into his closet, and attempted to repeat it : but found, 
through the power of conscience, that he could not. A 

few years afterwards, he called on Mr W who soon 

recollected him, and received him very cordially. The 
young gentleman offered to preach for him, and Mr 



NAHUM I. 



415 



W , with some reluctance, consenting, he went into 

the pulpit, and, to the surprise of Mr W , delivered a 

sound, sensible, Calvinistic sermon. The preacher being 
asked why he had altered his sentiments, he related the 

circumstances of Mr W 's request, and added that, 

being greatly agitated, as well as surprised, he had care- 
fully examined his sentiments, and reasoned thus with 
himself : — ' Can it be proper for me to preach to a con- 
gregation what I cannot offer up in prayer to God ? ' 

vii. 10. — Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, 
and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where 
is the Lord thy God? mine eyes shall behold her : now 
shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. 

When Dr Dodd, who suffered for forgery in 1777, was 
led to the place of execution, several of the populace 
seemed to exult at the condemnation of a dignified eccle- 
siastic : and a woman reproachfully called out to him, 
' Where is now thy God ?' He instantly referred her to 
the seventh chapter of Micah, 7-10, 'Therefore I will 
look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of my salva- 
tion : my God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O 
mine enemy : when I fall, I shall arise : when I sit in 
darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. I will bear 
the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against 
Him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for 
me : He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall be- 
hold His righteousness. Then she that is mine enemy 
shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto 
me, Where is the Lord thy God ? mine eyes shall behold 
her : now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the 
streets.' The wretched woman, proceeding to witness the 
execution, was thrown down in the pressure of the 
throng, and literally trodden to death ! 



NAHUM. 

Chap i. ver. 10. — While they are drunken as drunk- 
ards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. 

Three Warsaw butchers went to a tippling-house, aban- 
doned themselves to every sort of excess, and drank till 
they were so intoxicated that they were carried home 
senseless. A few hours had scarcely elapsed, when the 



416 



XAHUM III. 



miserable men were seized with all the symptoms of 
cholera, which advanced with such rapidity, as to prove 
fatal to the whole three within four hours. 

ii. 11.— Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the 
feeding-place of the young lions ? 

In the beginning of March 1810, five horsemen sta- 
tioned at a village near Hansi, having heard that a pig 
had been carried away by a tiger, went to the spot on foot, 
when they found a lion and lioness feeding upon it. The 
latter, on the patch of grass being set on fire, went off ; 
but the former advanced slowly, with his mane and tail 
erect ; when the men fired with so good an effect, as in- 
duced them to go up and destroy him with their swords, 
which was accomplished after one man had been severely 
wounded. The animal appeared to be a full grown lion, 
in most respects, like the African one. A lioness, a few 
days previous, had been sent in from Hissan, having been 
killed by a party of horsemen. These facts prove, con- 
trary to the general opinion, that lions are to be found in 
India as well as Africa. 

iii. 3. — The horseman lifteth up the bright sword and 
the glittering spear : and there is a multitude of slain. 

As Napoleon Bonaparte once passed over a field of 
battle in Italy, with some of his generals, he saw a house- 
less dog lying on the slain body of his master. The 
creature came towards them, then returned to the dead 
body, moaned over it pitifully, and seemed to ask their 
assistance. ; Whether it were the feeling of the moment,' 
continued Napoleon, 1 the scene, the hour, or the circum- 
stance itself, I was never so deeply affected by anything 
which I have seen upon a field of battle. That man, I 
thought, has perhaps had a house, friends, comrades, and 
here lies deserted by every one but his dog ! How mys- 
terious are the impressions to which we are subject. I 
was in the habit, without emotion, of ordering battles, 
which must decide the fate of a campaign, and could look 
with a dry eye on the execution of manoeuvres, which 
must be attended with much loss ; and here I was moved 
— nay, painfully affected — by the cries and the grief of a 
dog. It is certain, that at that moment, I should have been 
more accessible to a suppliant enemy, and could better 



HABAKKUK III. 



417 



understand the conduct of Achilles, in restoring the body 
of Hector to the tears of Priam.' 



HABAKKUK. 

Chap. 1. ver. 16. — They sacrifice unto their net. and 
burn incense unto their drag. 

A blacksmith, vrho had been employed one day on the 
Mission premises in India, fetched away his tools next 
morning, for the purpose of worshipping them, it being 
the day on which the Hindoos pay divine honours to the 
implements of their various trades ; the files and hammers 
of the smiths, the chisels and saws of the carpenter, the 
diamond of the glazier, the crucible of the goldsmith, etc., 
etc., all become idols on this anniversary. 

ii. 4. — The just shall live by his faith. 

Two men of learning were conversing with each other 
respecting the method they should take in reference to a 
certain regulation imposed upon them by the higher 
powers, and to which they had conscientious scruples. 
One of them impiously swore. ' By my faith I shall live. 5 
The other calmly and pleasantly replied, ' I hope to live 
by my fairh too, though I do not swear by it.'* The result 
was, that the man who resolved by grace to venture his 
temporal interest for conscience' sake, lived in prosperity 
to see the other begging, and to contribute to his relief. 

iii. 17 18. — Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, 
neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the 
olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the 
flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be 
no herd in the stalls : yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I 
will joy in the God of my salvation. 

Two religious persons lived in one place, who had been 
intimately acquainted in early life. Providence favoured 
one of them with a tide of prosperity. The other, fearing 
for his friend, lest his heart should be overcharged with 
the cares of this life, and the deceitfulness of riches, one 
day asked him whether he did not find prosperity a snare 
to him. He paused, and answered, 1 1 am not conscious 
that I do, for I enjoy God in all things ' Some years 
after, his affairs took "another turn. He lost, if not the 

D D 



418 



ZEPHANIAH III. 



whole, yet the far greater part of what he had once 
gained, and was greatly reduced. His old friend heing 
one day in his company, renewed his question, whether 
he did not find what had lately befallen him to be too 
much for him. Again he paused, and answered, 4 1 am 
not conscious that I do, for now I enjoy all things in God.' 

ZEPHANIAH. 

Chap. i. ver 6. — Those that have not sought the 
Lord, nor inquired for him. 

One evening, a lady and her little daughter attended a 
religious meeting, and while the minister was speaking of 
the neglect of family duties, of reading the Scriptures, 
and of family prayer, the little daughter, who listened 
attentively, and perceived that the preacher was describ- 
ing a neglect that she had witnessed herself, whispered 

to her mother this question — * Ma, is Mr talking to 

you ?' This was powerful preaching to the mother ; she 
was immediately brought under deep convictions, which 
resulted in her hopeful conversion. 

ii. 14. — Their voice shall sing in the windows. 

1 1 found also in this place,' says Le Bruyn, in describing 
the ruins of Persepolis, 1 besides the birds I have already 
mentioned, four or five sorts of small birds, who keep con- 
stantly in these ruins and the adjoining mountain, and 
which make the most agreeable warbling in the world. 
The singing of the largest approaches very near to that of 
the nightingale. Some of them are almost all black ; 
others have the head and body spotted, of the size of a 
swallow ; others are smaller, and of different colours, yel- 
lowish, grey, and quite white, shaped like a chaffinch.' 

iii. 12. — I will also leave in the midst of thee an 
afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the 
name of the Lord. 

The Rev. Oliver Heywood's pecuniary circumstances 
were sometimes very trying, but the special interpositions 
of Providence were not less remarkable. 1 While I was 
musing,' says he, ' and pondering how to get my rent dis- 
charged, and had no way, at this time, but to borrow it, 
there came a dear friend to me, and brought me five 



HAG-GAI I. 



419 



pounds, which did furnish me with an overplus besides 
my rent. It was a seasonable present, sent to me by a 
liberal hand : yet I own God chiefly in it, who cares for 
me, as in this, and several other experiences, is evident. 
0 what a sweet thing is the life of faith ! That is a per- 
fumed gift, which thus comes from God as a token of love, 
after the actings of faith in prayer. How good is God to 
me ! I live nobly, and am so far from wanting, that I 
have all and abound ; and where supplies fail one way, 
God makes them up another.' 



HAGGAL 

Chap. i. ver. 9. — Ye looked for much, and lo, it came 
to little ; and when ye brought it home, I did blow 
upon it. Why ? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of 
mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto 
his own house. 

Some years ago, a poor boy came to town in search of a 
situation as errand boy ; he made many unsuccessful 
applications, and was on the eve of returning to his 
parents, when a gentleman being prepossessed by his ap- 
pearance, took him into his employment, and after a few 
months, bound him apprentice. He so conducted him- 
self during his apprenticeship, as to gain the love and 
esteem of every one who knew him; and after he had 
served his time, his master advanced capital for him to 
commence business. He retired to his closet with a heart 
glowing with gratitude to his Maker for His goodness, and 
then solemnly vowed that he would devote a tenth part 
of his annual income to the service of God. The first 
year his donation amounted to ten pounds, which he gave 
cheerfully, and continued to do so till it amounted to 
£500 ; he then thought that was a great deal of money to 
give, and that he need not be so particular as to the exact 
amount. That year he lost a ship and cargo to the value 
of £15,000 by a storm ! This caused him to repent, and 
he again commenced his contributions, with a resolution 
never to retract : he was more successful every year, and 
at length retired. He then devoted a tenth part of his 
annual income for some years, till he became acquainted 
with men of the world, who by degrees drew him aside 
from God : he discontinued his donations, made large 



420 



ZECHARIAH II. 



speculations, lost everything, and became almost as poor as 
when he came to town as an errand boy ! 

ii. 18, 3 9. — From the da} 7 that the foundation of the 
Lord's temple was laid, consider it — from this day will 
I bless you. 

4 Some years' ago, says one, 1 1 recollect reading a 
striking sermon by the late Mr Simpson of Macclesfield ; 
the subject, I think, was Christian liberality; but what 
most forcibly struck my mind, was a passage quoted from 
Malachi iii. 10, " Bring ye all the tithes into the store- 
house," etc. I cannot describe how my mind was im- 
pressed with the manner in which Jehovah here con- 
descended to challenge His people, when He says, " And 
prove Me now herewith," etc. Suffice it to say, that the 
subject made such an impression, I found it my duty to 
do more for the cause of God than I ever had done. I 
did so, and on closing that year's accounts, I found that 
I had gained more than in any two years preceding it. 
Some time afterwards, I thought the Redeemer's cause 
had an additional claim, as the place in which we wor- 
shipped Him wanted some repairs. The sum I then gave 
was £20 ; and in a very little time afterwards, I received 
£40, which I had long given up as lost.' 



ZECHARIAH. 

Chap. i. ver. 5. — Your fathers, where are they? and 
the prophets, do they live for ever ? 

c We need no reed,' says Mr Matthew Henry, - no pole, 
no measuring line, wherewith to take the dimensions of 
our days, nor any skill in arithmetic, wherewith to com- 
pute the number of them. Ko ; we have the standard of 
them at our fingers' ends ; and there is no multiplication 
of it ; it is but one hand -breadth in all.' 

ii. 11. — Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in 
that day, and shall be my people. 

' In the year 1813,' says Mr Campbell, ' after having 
visited several nations in the interior of Africa, beyond 
the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, when returning, I 
halted at the town of Paarl, within thirty-six miles of 
Cape Town ; here I was requested by friends to relate 



ZECHARIAH IV. 



421 



publicly the state of the nations in the interior of Africa. 
About one hundred free persons, with some slaves, at- 
tended. At the close, several hundred rix-dollars were 
contributed by the white friends present for the Mis- 
sionary Society. After the whites had all left the house, 
a slave woman and her daughter called upon me, and 
said, " Sir, will you take anything from a poor slave, to 
help to send the Gospel to the poor things beyond us ?" On 
my saying, " Most certainly I will," she gave me eight- 
pence, and her daughter fourpence. Having done so, 
they nastily went out clapping their hands, and ran to 
some slave men who were waiting to hear the result. On 
hearing from her that I cheerfully took subscriptions from 
slaves, they rushed into my room, and every one threw 
down all that they had, to send the Gospel to the poor 
things beyond them V 

iii. 10. — Ye shall call every man his neighbour under 
the vine, and under the fig-tree. 

Dr Richard Chandler, in his ' Travels in Asia Minor, 
informs us, 1 that a Greek at Philadelphia sent them a 
small earthen vessel full of choice wine ; and that some 
families, who were sitting beneath some trees, by a rill of 
water, invited them to alight and partake of their refresh- 
ments. The taking of their repasts thus in public ex- 
pressed safety and pleasure ; and the calling to pas- 
sengers to partake with them, a spirit of friendliness and 
generosity.' 

iv. 6. — Not by might, nor by power, but by my 
Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. 

' I am by birth,' said a converted Hindoo, when ad- 
dressing a number of his countrymen, 1 of an insignificant 
and contemptible caste ; so low, that if a Brahmin should 
chance to touch me, he must go and bathe in the Ganges 
for the purpose of purification ; and yet God has been 
pleased to call me, not merely to the knowledge of the 
Gospel, but to the high office of teaching it to others. 
My friends, do you know the reason of God's conduct ? 
It is this : If God had selected one of you learned Brah- 
mins, and made you the preacher, when you were suc- 
cessful in making converts, by-standers would have said 
it was the amazing learning of the Brahmin, and his great 
weight of character, that were the cause ; but now, when 



422 



ZECHARIAH VII. 



any one is convinced by my instrumentality, no one thinks 
of ascribing any of the praise to me ; and God, as is His 
due, has all the glory.' 

v. 3. — Every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on 
that side. 

Three soldiers passing through a wood, a storm of thun- 
der and lightning came on. One of the soldiers, to show 
his contempt of God and His judgments, began to swear, 
when a large tree, torn up by the fury of the tempest, fell 
upon him and crushed him to pieces. 

vi. 13. — He shall build the temple of the Lord; and 
he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his 
throne ; and he shall be a priest upon his throne ; and 
the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 

4 In the afternoon,' says Toplady, in his * Diary/ 
* called on William Perry of Southerton. Our discourse 
happened to take a serious turn. Among other subjects, 
we spoke concerning the Divinity of the ever blessed Son 
of God. I could scarce help smiling, at the same time 
that I heartily applauded the honest zeal of my well- 
meaning parishioner : — " Let any man," said he, " but 
search the Scriptures, and if he does not find that Christ, 
as a Divine person, subsisted, not only previous to His birth 
of the Virgin Mary, but from everlasting, I will lose my 
head." This brought to my mind that j ust observation of the 
late excellent Mr Hervey, who, speaking of Christ's atone- 
ment, says, 4i Ask any of your serious tenants, what ideas 
arise in their minds upon a perusal of the fore-mentioned 
texts ? I dare venture that, artless and unimproved as 
their understandings are, they will not hesitate for an 
answer. They will neither complain of obscurity, nor 
ask the assistance of learning, but will immediately 
discern, in all these passages, a gracious Redeemer suffer- 
ing in their stead ; and by His bitter but expiatory pas- 
sion, procuring the pardon of their sins. Nay, farther, 
as they are not accustomed to the finesse of criticism, I 
apprehend they will be at a loss to conceive how it is 
possible to understand such passages in any other sense." ' 

vii. 12. — They made their hearts as an adamant- 
stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words 



ZECHARIAH VIII. 



423 



which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the 
former prophets. 

Bishop Massilon, in the first sermon he ever preached, 
found the whole audience, upon his getting into the 
pulpit, in a disposition no way favourable to his inten- 
tions. Their nods, whispers, or drowsy behaviour, showed 
him that there was no great profit to be expected from 
his sowing in a soil so improper. However, he soon 
changed the disposition of his audience by his manner of 
beginning. 'If,' says he, 'a cause, the most important 
that could be conceived, were to be tried at the bar before 
qualified judges ; if this cause interested ourselves in par- 
ticular ; if the eyes of the whole kingdom were fixed upon 
the events ; if the most eminent counsel were employed 
on both sides ; and if we had heard from our infancy of 
this yet undetermined trial, — would you not all sit with 
due attention, and warm expectation, to the pleadings on 
each side ? Would not all your hopes and fears be hinged 
on the final decision ? And yet, let me tell you, you have 
this moment a cause, where not one nation, but all the 
world are spectators ; tried not before a fallible tribunal, 
but the awful throne of heaven, where not your temporal 
and transitory interests are the subject of debate, but 
your eternal happiness or misery ; where the cause is 
still undetermined, but, perhaps, the very moment I am 
speaking may fix the irrevocable decree that shall last 
for ever ; and yet, notwithstanding all this, yon can hardly 
sit with patience to hear the tidings of your own salva- 
tion. I plead the cause of heaven, and yet I am scarcely- 
attended to.' 

viii. 16. — Speak ye every man the truth to his 
neighbour. 

1 Some time ago,' says a teacher, ' I called upon the 
mother of one of my scholars, to inquire the reason of 
her son's absence from school ; she told me that he had 
lately got a situation, and promised that he should attend 
more regularly in future. She was acquainted with the 
parents of another of my scholars, and as we were con- 
versing about her own boy, she said that she hoped he 
would be as good a boy as his school-fellow was ; for, 
added she, ' ; his mother had told me that she never knew 
him tell a lie in his life." I knew the master and mistress 



424 



ZECHABIAH X. 



with whom this same boy went to live, and they told me, 
that though he was not quite so active as they could wish, 
yet they liked him for one thing particularly, which was, 
he always told the truth ; even when he had done any thing 
amiss, he never tried to conceal it by telling a falsehood.' 

ix. 10.— He shall speak peace unto the heathen ; and 
his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from 
the river even to the ends of the earth. 

The late !Mr John Cronmbie of Haddington, some time 
before his death, calling on one of his customers, his 
friend said unto him, * I am sure. IMr Croumbie, you need 

not care for business.' He replied, ' It is true, Mrs , 

but if I were to give over business, I would not be so able 
to assist the various societies that are formed for diffusing 
the knowledge of the Gospel through the world.' The 
same excellent person, in his last illness, after expressing 
his surprise that some Christians kept back from the sup- 
port of these institutions, said, with peculiar emphasis, 
1 0 how I pity the poor heathen, who have nothing to 
support their minds in the prospect of eternity ! " His feel- 
ings were evidently excited by his ovrn situation, and a 
conviction of the misery he would feel, if his mind had 
not been supported by the Gospel in the near prospect of 
entering into an eternal state. 

x. 2 — The diviners have seen a lie. 

A reformed gipsy, making a visit to a parish in which 
one of her children was born, near Basingstoke, entered 
the cottage of an old couple who sold fruit, etc. Tea 
being proposed, the old woman expressed her surprise 
that she had not seen her visitor for so long a time, say- 
ing she was glad she was come, as she wanted to tell her 
many things, meaning future events. She mentioned a 
great deal that another gipsy woman had told her ; on 
which the reformed one exclaimed — ; Don't believe her, 
dame. It is all lies. She knows no more about it than 
you do. If you trust to what she says, you will be de- 
ceived.' The old woman was still more surprised, and 
asked how she, who had so often told their fortunes, and 
had promised them such good luck, could be so much 
altered ? The woman, taking her Testament from her 
bosom, replied, ' I have learned from this blessed book, 
and from my kind friends, " that all liars shall have their 



ZECHARIAH XIII. 



425 



portion in the lake that burnetii with brimstone and rire ; " 
and rather than tell fortunes again, I would starve.' 

xi. 8. — Three shepherds also I cut off in one month. 
A clergyman was spending an evening — not in his 

closet, wrestling with God in prayer — not in his study, 
searching the Scriptures, and meditating on Divine truth, 
with the view of being prepared for public usefulness — 
nor in pastoral visits to the flock under his care — but at 
the card-table ! He left the room for a few moments, de- 
siring his wife to deal his cards till his return. This she 
had done ; but he did not come back. The cards waited, 
the conversation was kept up, still he returned not. At 
length, surprised at his absence, his wife withdrew to seek 
him. She found him in his chamber a lifeless corpse ! It is 
observable, that within a very few years, this was the 
third character (clerical, it is presumed) in the same 
neighbourhood, who had been suddenly taken from the 
pleasures of a card-table to the bar of God ! 

xii. 1. — The Lord which formeth the spirit of man 
within him. 

1 At a catechising of one of the schools,' says a mission- 
ary in India, ' a Brahmin interrupted us, by saying that 
the spirit of man and the Spirit of God were one. In order 
to show him the absurdity of such a declaration, we called 
upon the boys to refute it, by telling us the difference be- 
tween the spirit of man and God. They readily gave the 
following answer: — "The spirit of man is created — God 
is its creator : the spirit of man is full of sin — God is a 
pure Spirit : the spirit of man is subject to grief — God is 
infinitely blessed, and incapable of suffering : these two 
spirits, therefore," replied the boys, " can never be one" ' 

xiii. 9. — I will bring the third part through the fire, 
and will refine them as silver is refined. 

Sarah Howard, a poor old widow, who had been bed- 
ridden fourteen years, when visited by her minister, thus 
spoke of her afflictions : — ' I can set to my seal that the 
Lord has chastened me sore, but He hath not given me 
over unto death. I have been chastened in my person, 
and am quite helpless, by long and severe illness ; I have 
been chastened in my circumstances ever since I was left 
a widow ; yes, I know what oppressing a widow, what bad 



426 



MALACHI II. 



debts and hard creditors are ; I have been chastened in 
my family, by a son, whom I was doatingly fond of, run- 
ning away and going to sea. Besides all these, I have 
been chastened in mind, " walking in darkness and hay- 
ing no light ;" yet, after all, I trust I can say with David, 
" Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have 
kept Thy word." And I hope I can say that I am now 
returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of souls.' 

xiv. 7. — At evening time it shall be light. 

Mr Robert Glover, one of the English martyrs, a little 
before his death, had lost the sense of God's favour, which 
occasioned great heaviness and grief ; but when he came 
within sight of the stake at which he was to suffer, he ex- 
perienced such abundant comfort and heavenly joy, that 
clapping his hands together, he cried out, ' He is come, 
He is come !' and died triumphantly. 



MALACHI 

Chap. i. ver. 13. — Ye said also, Behold, what a weari- 
ness is it ! 

One Sabbath morning, a minister in Wakefield had not 
proceeded far in his discourse, when he observed an indi- 
vidual in a pew just before him rise from his seat, and 
turn round to look at the clock in the front of the gallery, 
as if the service were a weariness to him. The unseemly 
act called forth the following rebuke : — 4 A remarkable 
change,' said the speaker, ' has taken place among the 
people of this country in regard to the public service of 
religion. Our forefathers put their clocks on the outside 
of their places of worship, that they might not be too late 
in their attendance. We have transferred them to the 
inside of the house of God, lest we should stay too long 
in the service. A sad and an ominous change !' 

ii. 14. — The Lord hath been witness between thee 
and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast 
dealt treacherously : yet is she thy companion, and the 
wife of thy covenant. 

1 1 was called,' says the Rev. Richard Cecil, 1 to visit a 
woman whose mind was disordered ; and, on my observing 
that it was a case which required the assistance of a phy- 



MALA CHI 111. 



427 



sician rather than that of a clergyman, her husband re- 
plied, M Sir, we sent to you, because it is a religious case ; 
her mind has been injured by constantly reading the 
Bible." I have known many instances, said I, of persons 
brought to their senses by reading the Bible ; but it is 
possible that too intense an application to that, as well as 
to any other subject, may have disordered your wife. 
"There is every proof of it," said he ; and was proceed- 
ing to multiply his proofs, till his brother interrupted him 
by thus addressing me : — Sir, I have no longer patience 
to stand by and see you so imposed on. The truth of the 
matter is this : 3Iy brother has forsaken his wife, and 
been long connected with a loose woman. He had the 
best of wives in her, and one who was strongly attached 
to him ; but she has seen his heart and property given to 
another, and, in her solitude and distress, went to the 
Bible as the only consolation left her. Her health and 
spirits at last sunk under her troubles, and there she lies 
distracted, not from reading her Bible, but from the infi- 
delity and cruelty of her husband." — Does the reader wish 
to know what reply the husband made to this ? — He made 
no reply at all ; but left the room with confusion of face.' 

iii. 3. — He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. 

A short time ago, there were a few ladies in Dublin 
who met together to read the Scriptures and converse 
upon them. hen reading the third chapter of Malachi, 
one of the ladies gave it as her opinion that the fuller's 
soap and the refiner of silver were only the same image, 
intended to convey the same view of the sanctifying in- 
fluences of the grace of Christ. i No, s said another, ' they 
are not just the same image : there is something remark- 
able in the expression in the third verse, t; He shall sit as 
a refiner and purifier of silver." ' They all said that pos- 
sibly it might be so. This lady was to call on a silver- 
smith, and promised to report to them what he said on 
the subject. She went, without telling him the object of 
her errand, and begged to know the process of refining 
silver, which he fully described to her. ' But do you sit, 
Sir,' said she, 'while you are refining?' 1 0 yes, Madam, 
I must sit with my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace, 
since if the silver remain too long it is sure to be injured.' 
1 And how do you know when it is sufficiently refined, 
Sir?' 'Whenever I see my own image reflected in it, I 



428 



MALA CHI IT. 



know the process is completed.' She at once saw the 
beauty and the comfort too of the expression, ' He shall 
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.' Christ sees it need- 
ful to put His children into the furnace, but He is seated 
by the side of it. His eye is steadily intent on the work 
of purifying, and His wisdom and love are engaged to do 
all in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come 
at random ; the very hairs of their head are all numbered. 

iv. 2. — Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun 
of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings. 

Kaiarnack, the first Greenland convert or the Moravian 
missionaries, had a peculiar felicity in communicating 
instruction to the savages, and could illustrate divine 
truths to them better than they, introducing striking re- 
marks and profitable observations, which could not easily 
have been done by his teachers, while his exemplary 
walk gave force to his words. Once when invited to a 
sun-dance, 1 1 have now,' answered he, ' another kind of 
joy, for another Sun, Jesus, has arisen on my heart ;' and 
then explained to them the origin and nature of his joy, 
in a manner that silenced and amazed them. 



INDEX. 



THE FIGURES REFER TO THE PAGES. 



Admonition, a serious, 68. 

Advice, 94, 147, 152, 175, 191, 274, 
292, 301, 402, 411. 

Affection, animal, 334, 371, 416 ; 
filial, 18, 24, 26, 117, 117; fra- 
ternal, 25, 28, 60, 105, 136, 144 ; 
in a slave, 39 ; proof of, 18, 25. 

Affliction, useful, 105, 145, 217, 286, 
295, 321, 340, 400, 425. 

Ambition, 170. 

Amusements, cruel, 113 ; vain, 223, 
357; theatrical, 165, 303. 

Animals— Buffalo, 152 ; Bull, 128 ; 
Clams, 96 ; Eagle, 233, 379 ; Ele- 
phant, 8; Fishes, 391; Flies, 70, 
322 ; Lark and Hawk, 258 ; Lion, 
126, 217, 278, 332, 416 ; Locusts, 
404 Parrot, 89; Scorpion, 84; 
Sea Snake, 408 ; Shark and Pilot 
Fish, 218; Sheep, 50; Tiger, 174; 
Turtle-doves, 54 ; Whale, 233. 

Apologue, beautiful, 219. 

Assassination, 364. 

Atonement, sufficiency of the, 52. 

Babel, The Tower of, 9. 

Babylon, the City of 324, 368. 

Backslider restored, 403. 

Beauty improved, 17. 

Begging put down, 369. 

Benevolence, 174, 180, 201. 

Bible, the abused, 363 ; and High- 
land Soldiers, 146 ; inspiration 
of the, 273, 402 ; preferred, 88 ; 
scarce, 408; the only rule of 
faith, 42 ; translated, 149 ; value 
of the, 168, 209, 225, 286, 302. 

Bible Societv, success of the, 262. 

Birds, 293, 418. 

Bishop, the. and Blacksmith, 186. 
Boasting, 125, 155, 164, 213, 323. 
Book of bank-notes, 353 ; reading 

of a blessed, 342. 
Books, irreligious, burnt, 197. 
Brethren, the four, compared, 372. 
Calumny, 201 ; despised, 314. 
Catechising, duty of 266. 
Change of heart necessary, 70. 
Character of Alexander the Great, 

9 ;— importance of, 144, 187 ; loss 

of, 348. 



Charity, Christian, 69, 154, 183. 
Child carried off by an Eagle, 379. 
Choice, wise, 99, 182, 241, 255, 260. 
Cholera, 355, 415. 
Christ the sinner's hope, 43, 43, 

160, 220, 226, 294, 366. 
Civility, 15. 

Comfort, 163, 231, 247, 2S6, 291; 
to the awakened, 271, 346. 

Company, bad, dangerous, 308 ; 
dreaded, 246; fri ghtened, 350. 

Conciliating address, 110. 

Conscience, power of. 7 6, 92, 161, 
269, 319, 418 ; pacified, 300, 310. 

Conscientious scruples, 10, 68. 

Consistency of conduct, 307. 

Contentment, 159, 223. 

Contrast, a, 236, 295, 308, 337, 388. 

Conversation, useful, 5, 85, 182, 240. 
243, 262, 317 ; unprofitable, 213. 

Conversion of a soldier, 11, 59 ; a 
clergyman, 95 ; a swearer, 121 ; 
a sailor, 185; a negro, 214; a 
young man, 301 ; a profligate 
woman, 339 ; a Mr Crane, 347 ; 
an infidel, 373 ; a young lady, 
387; many dissolute persons, 402 

Coronation, 162. 

Corpulence, its cause, 108. 

Covetousness, 99. 

Criticism, candid, 229. 

Cruelty, 20, 165, 363, 405. 

Custom, a pious, 290. 

Customs, Eastern, 55, 63, 102, 122, 
138, 166, 19S, 365, 374, 375. 

Danger, calmness in, 280. 

Dark prospects, 265. 

Death, accidental, 104; affecting, 
410; awful 169, 221, 223, 274, 
321; desired, 218; happy, 63, 
96, 221, 238, 239, 300, 324 ; minis- 
ter's, 73, 198; preparation for, 
255, 351 ; sudden, 219, 221, 257. 

Deism unreasonable, 351. 

Deist converted, 281. 

Deity of Christ, 6, 422. 

Despair, danger of, 354 

Detraction reproved. 66, 240, 255. 

Disputants reconciled, 10. 

Discipline, parental, 305. 



430 



INDEX. 



Discontentment punished. 67. 70. 

Divine assistance given, 355 ; with- 
held, 355 ; retributions. 36. 72, 
107, 125, 143, 157, 192, 196, 235, 

247, 256, 261, 291, 304. 415, 422 ; 
threatening verified, 376. 

Doctrine tested, 414. 

Dreams, remarkable, 22, 27, 41, 109. 
194, 230, 392, 395. 

Drinking, unnecessary, avoided. 315. 

Drunkard mimicked. S. 

Dutv faithfully discharged hv — 
Children, 82, 84. US. 23S, 391 ; 
Judges, 155, 202, 229; Kings, 
100, 151; Ministers. 165, 210, 
321; Mothers, 34, S3, 302, 331, 
352 ; Officers, 23, 51, 80. 

Dyingmessage, 7; testimonv. 27. 72. 

Early Piety, 49, 120, 179. 237, 

248, 257, 260 ;— rising, 97, 318. 
Earthquake, 35L 

Economy, 207. 

Education, benefits of, 21 ; a reli- 
gious, 234, 283; importance of, 98. 

Elevation, why desirable, 313. 

Eloquence, power of, 200. 

Emperor, the generous, 133, 163. 

Error renounced, 361. 

Estimate of human fife, 312. 

Eternity, a broad view of. 345. 

Evangelical preaching, 48. 

Evil speaking, 252. 

Evil spirits, 412. 

Example, effects of, 390. 

Experience, Christian, 20, 248. 260, 
278, 2S9, 399. 

Eye, the single, 102. 

Eyes, right use of the. 244. 

Fact, a singular, 374. 

Faith, life of, 418. 

Faith's claim on God, 263. 

Falls of Isiagara, incident at, 410. 

Fame of Boerhaave, 176 ; — posthu- 
mous, what, 385. 

Familv, religion and order, 10, 12, 
1S5,*235. 257, 273, 297;— a nume- 
rous, 291. 

Fasting and prayer, 203. 205, 244. 

Filial duty outraged, 141. 

Flattery reproved. 239. 309, 394. 

Forgetfulness of God, 3S7. 

Forgiveness, 130, 152, 251. 

Fortitude, 95, 108. 

Fortune-telling, 57. 88, 167, 174, 424. 

Four last Things, 271. 

Fratricide, 191. 

Freedom prized, 362. 

Free-will offerings, 49, 199. 



I Fretfulness and good humour. 70 
; Friendship, 306. 

Gain, the martyr's. 351. 

Game changed, 189. 

Generosity, 91, 131, 134, 139, 143 ; 
| in a lion, 406. 

Generous conduct in war, 194. 

Ghost laid, 13L 

Giants, 101, 178. 

God, the Saint's portion, 296, 417. 

God's All-sufficiency, 2S4; Faith- 
fulness, 8, 263, 340 ; Incompre- 
hensibility, 227 ; Mercv, 250, 
284, 294 ; Names, 347 ; Omnipre- 
sence, 252. 272; Omniscience, 11, 
50, 193 ; Power, 318 : Sovereignty 
33, 216, 350, 361, 421 ; Spiritu- 
alitv and Glorv, 45. 337, 396. 
! Good for evil 159, 224, 236, 249, 
2S1, 290, 307, 309. 

Good men unambitious, 180 

Gratitude, to God, 29. 52, 1S2, 282 ; 
; to man, 106, 123, 310. 

Hand-bill, usefulness of a, 155. 

Happiness, true, 131, 297. 

Heathenism and Christianitv, 27-5, 
290, 306, 320, 323, 352 

Heaven, 270, 316: its distance. 
396; hope of, 382; preparation 
for, 389. 

Honesty, 40, 51, 87, 159. 

Honour, declined, 329 ; true, 176. 

Hopes, irreconcileable, 196. 

Hospitality, 115. 

Humanitv, 90. 

Humility 101, 112. 219, 264, 306, 

344, 376, 403. 
Hvmns, usefulness of "Watts', 172, 

254. 

Idolaters and idolatrv. 44. 56. 93, 

109, 111, 121, 187, 258, 283, 293, 

335, 417, 369. 
Ignorance, gross. 167. 170. 239. 4^0. 
Impietv and irreligkra, 293. 383, 

354 : "reproved. 195, 222. 265, 426. 
Inconsistency, 2S9. 
Industrv, 218 ; motives to, 424. 
Infanticide. 264. 354. 
Infidel his fears, 120. 227. 256 : his 

impious boast, 206; silenced, 81, 

191, 315. 
Ingratitude, 192. 
Inhumanity, 307, 426. 
Injustice, 9*1, 268. 
Innkeeper, unprincipled. 405. 
Inscriptions, 277. 390. 
Insensibility, 407. 
Instructiondesired, 301. 



INDEX. 



43' 



Integrity, 333. 

Intemperance, 53, 130, 140, 151, 163. 

Jews, 93, 204, 370, 378; how to 
preach to, 413. 

Jewish soldiers, their fidelity, 28. 

Joy, Christian, 72, 343, 426, 428. 

Judgment, day of, 38, 223, 276. 

Justice, 14, 37, 149, 178, 311. 

Kindness to the poor, 91. 

King, asking counsel, 393 ; firmness 
of a, 111; foolish, 329; kind, 180; 
prayer of a, 259, 287, 296; pre- 
pared for death, 26 ; uses of a, 116. 

King's daughter in disguise, 253. 

Landlords, considerate, 215, 345. 

Laws, basis of good, 97, 303. 

Law-suits prevented, 190. 

Leaf of the Bible useful, 398. 

Learning perverted, 377. 

Leper drowned, 54. 

Liberality, 61, 87, 282, 420. 

Life, its shortness, 420 ; preserved 
by a Bible, 137. 

Look at home, 320. 

Lord's Table, the, 317. 

Lots, 180. 

Love to Christ, 308, 316, 319; to 
the brethren, 52 ; to the world 
dangerous, 322. 

Magistrates, 115. 

Magnanimity, Christian, 207. 

Marriage, 65, 66, 79, 105, 365. 

Means without God, 153. 

Meditation, sweets of, 19. 

Melancholy, 230 ; removed, 266. 

Merit rewarded, 151. 

Mimick taken off, 406. 

Minister of the Gospel, a careless, 
386, 425; his dignity, 43; his 
diligence, 63 ; his fears, 31, 263, 
332; his fidelity, 64, 124, 372, 
393; his firmness, 55, 211; his 
ground of success, 356; his suc- 
cess, 399 ; his humility, 69. 

Missionaries, their unsuccessful at- 
tempt, 30 ; success. 208, 384. 

Missionary contribution, 42, 46, 46, 
75, 92, 181, 420. 

Mockery and insult, 112, 186, 199, 
206, 335. 

Mothers, the unnatural, 147, 405. 

Murder, discovered. 7, 161, 225 ; 
prevented, 243, 251, 279, 314, 
364, 409. 

Music, cheerful, 248 ; mournful, 

412; power of, 126. 
Name of Jesus, a test, 299. 
Nobleman, a pious young, 20. 



Neglect reproved, 304. 

Negro, a praying, 394. 

Oath of friendship, 13. 

Obedience, necessity of, 89. 

Officer, the suspected, 310. 

Old age, a happy, 15. 

Opposition, use of, 32. 

Order, use of, 62, 77. 

Ordinances, love of, 30, 244. 

Origin of spiritual life, 387. 

Orphans, the two, 245. 

Ostentation reproved, 162. 

Parents, negligent, 120, 146. 

Passion, 17, 212, 303, 411. 

Paternal duty outraged, 134. 

Peace of God, 270. 

Peace-makers, the, 19, 86, 288. 

Persecution and persecutors, 34, 
129, 188, 189, 200, 364. 

Pestilence, 184, 272. 

Physician, pious, 13. 

Piety venerated, 314. 

Pious servant preferred, 277. 

Plea for attention, 423. 

Poison avoided, 401. 

Popery, 85; renounced, 71. 

Population, 103. 

Praise, 179, 183, 190, 264, 300. 

Prayer, answered, 12, 101, 129, 136, 
236, 261, 270, 336, 356, 403 ; an- 
swered in wrath, 279; duty of, 47, 
124, 139, 284, 285; ejaculatorv, 
253; family, 137, 177, 391; meet- 
ing revived, 392 ; of a mother, 
119, 234 ; secret, in a field, 15. 

Praying, what is it ? 359. 

Preaching, 251, 348, 379 ; scriptu- 
ral, 358 ; before a king, 407 ; im- 
pressive manner of, 344, 388. 

Pride, 169, 285, 289, 292, 351. 

Prisoners released, 99, 325. 

Procrastination, 13, 104, 204, 267, 
402. 

Promises fulfilled, 375. 

Prophecy, 104, 368, 382, 383, 383. 

Prophesyings, Bacon on, 157. 

Prospect, an interesting, 367. 

Protection, divine, 171, 235, 316, 326. 

Providence, and providential de- 
liverances, 20, 22, 25, 32, 33, 48, 
89, 97, 121, 123, 127, 156, 214, 
232, 288, 326, 380, 381. 
1 Punctuality, 118. 

Purgatory, 44. 

Rapacity, 122. 

Raven and Dr Clark, 311. 

Reflection, after sermon, 86 ; before 
t sermon, 339; of a deaf and dumb 



432 



INDEX. 



boy, 287 : of a culprit, 343 : pre- 
monitory, 137 ; of a murderer, 
171 : of a negro, 64 ; of a shep- 
herd. 231. 
efuge, the, 353. 

iligion. among: seamen. 210, 329, 
3S~S, 397: inspires crara:;- 61. 
emorse, 153. 
Rencounter, 134. 

Reproof. 138, 296, 315, 360. 

Restitution, 114. 

Retirement valued, 366. 

Return to duty, 389. 

Revenge, 386.* 

Revivals in religion, 359. 

Rhine, timber rafts on the, 148. 

Ridicule, antidote to. 342. 

Rights of subjects, 186, 202, ML 

Sabbath, observed. 5. 35. 59. 73. 73. 
209. 344 ; profaned, 45. 269. 353, 
3S2: zeal for, 41, 211, 347, 370. 

Sacrifice for Christ, 47. 

Sandwich Islands, 145. 150. 3S8. 

Saviour, definition of a, 327 

Saving, admired, 67. 

Scoffer silenced, 9S. 267. 

Scripture illustrations. 331 ; anoint- 
ing, 244; Arabia, 100; arrows, 
381 ; assembling, places for. 116: 
boats, 327 ; burial. 14! : Cana 
83; cedars, 267: cuttings, 367; 
dew, 401: fountain, 132; gar- 
ments, 213; Gates shut, 208 : 
hospitality, 84; marriage, 170, 
400; medal 340; money, 390: 
mourning. 325 ; pits or vaults, 
365 ; procession, 135 ; punish- 
ment, 341; refreshments, 421: 
rivers. 282; rock. 113; Sea, Dead. 
78, 81; silver, 427: trees, 147; 

Serjeant, the. promoted 23. 
Secession in Heaven. 334. 
Self-denial 66. 

Self-knowledge, value of. 371. 
Shilling, the well-spent 228. 
Silence, danger of, 346; its cause, 
407. 

Simplicity, 232. 
Sin, what, 342. 

Sinners' danger, 259, 374. 380. 
Slaverv, sin and horrors of, 29, 79, 

222, 371. 
Snow, 298. 
Socinianism, 107. 



Soldiers, Highland, 62. 
Spanish Armada, 35. 214. 
Speculation tested, 233, 414. 
Spiritual beings compared, 425. 
Students, the irreLigfr-s. 195. 
Studies, divine assistance in, 396; 

useful course of, 157. 
Submission, duty and advantage ot 

141. 176. 216. 323, 330, 347. 
Suicide. 143. SSO: prevented. 225. 
Superstition. 31, 55, 350, 358 ; cru- 
elties of. 57, 158. 
Supplv, providential, 53, 80, 153, 

248, 281, 297. 
Swearing reproved, 38, 59, 127, 

167. 276. 2^5. 417. 
Tat.v. -beauts' g avoided, 56. 
Temperance, 64, 112, 362. 
rerr.r:at::r.. darger cl 160. 1SS. 

378, 405 ; resisted. 184, 392. 
Text, monitory, 359. 
Theory and practice, 206. 
Thir-ksrivir.g. 277. 
T~~- der-s:orrr.s. 246. 332. 335. 422 
Time, lost, 7, 366; its shortness 272. 
Transition, sudden, 173. 
Trifling preacher, 349. 
Triumph in death, 241, 254, 33 ,.■ 
True wisdom, 227. 
Trust in God, 171, 173, 242, 250 

253, 254, 275, 368. 
Truth, 10S, 128, 215. 251. 423. 
Tyres c: Chris:. 17. 43. 110. 
Tyranny, 313. 

UyzxpzcrzD irctdrv. 216. 316. 

391 ;— reply, 238, 305, 339, 349 ; 

— honour, 177. 
Union to Christ, 330. 
Vaxitt of human greatness. 217. 

312. 385. 
Valour, true, 178, 241. 
V..-v.-s obligatory. 74. 313. 41°. 
Wauls, Bomaiu in Britain, 103. 
War and peace, 35, 309, 328, 377, 413. 
Water bought, 16. 
Wealth,— abused, 220 ; devoted to 

God, 179, 181, 420; vanirv of, 

322. 375. 3S3. 
Widow" s right, 229 ; debt paid, 385. 
Will, the minister's, 181. 
Witchcraft and truth, 414. 
Worship, family, 10. 
Worship in a heathen temple, 193. 
Zeal tested, 72, 263 ; youthraL 46, 

54. 



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